book review of 9 perfect strangers

• ADMIN AREA MY BOOKSHELF MY DASHBOARD MY PROFILE SIGN OUT SIGN IN

NINE PERFECT STRANGERS

by Liane Moriarty ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 6, 2018

Fun to read, as always with Moriarty's books, but try not to think about it or it will stop making sense.

Nine people gather at a luxurious health resort in the Australian bushland. Will they have sex, fall in love, get killed, or maybe just lose weight?

Moriarty ( Truly Madly Guilty , 2014, etc.) is known for darkly humorous novels set in the suburbs of Sydney—though her most famous book, Big Little Lies (2014), has been transported to Monterey, California, by Reese Witherspoon's HBO series. Her new novel moves away from the lives of prosperous parents to introduce a more eclectic group of people who've signed up for a 10-day retreat at Tranquillium House, a remote spa run by the messianic Masha, "an extraordinary-looking woman. A supermodel. An Olympic athlete. At least six feet tall, with corpse-like white skin and green eyes so striking and huge they were almost alien-like." This was the moment when the guests should probably have fled, but they all decided to stay (perhaps because their hefty payments were nonrefundable?). The book's title is slightly misleading, since not all the guests are strangers to each other. There are two family groups: Ben and Jessica Chandler, a young couple whose relationship broke down after they won the lottery, and the Marconis, Napolean and Heather and their 20-year-old daughter, Zoe, who are trying to recover after the death of Zoe's twin brother, Zach. Carmel Schneider is a divorced housewife who wants to get her mojo back, Lars Lee is an abnormally handsome divorce lawyer who's addicted to spas, and Tony Hogburn is a former professional footballer who wants to get back into shape. Though all these people have their own chapters, the main character is Frances Welty, a romance writer who needs a pick-me-up after having had her latest novel rejected and having been taken in by an internet scam—she fell in love with a man she met on Facebook and sent money to help his (nonexistent) son, who'd been in a (nonexistent) car accident. How humiliating for a writer to fall for a fictional person, Frances thinks, in her characteristically wry way. When the guests arrive, they're given blood tests (why?) and told they're going to start off with a five-day "noble silence" in which they're not even supposed to make eye contact with each other. As you can imagine, something fishy is going on, and while Moriarty displays her usual humor and Frances in particular is an appealing character, it's all a bit ridiculous.

Pub Date: Nov. 6, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-250-06982-5

Page Count: 464

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Review Posted Online: Nov. 14, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018

THRILLER | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | GENERAL & DOMESTIC THRILLER | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE

Share your opinion of this book

More by Liane Moriarty

BOOK REVIEW

by Liane Moriarty

More About This Book

BOOK TO SCREEN

Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

New York Times Bestseller

by Max Brooks ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2020

A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.

Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z (2006).

A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.

Pub Date: June 16, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine

Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020

GENERAL SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | SCIENCE FICTION

More by Max Brooks

by Max Brooks

A CONSPIRACY OF BONES

by Kathy Reichs ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 17, 2020

Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival.

Another sweltering month in Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan.

A week after the night she chases but fails to catch a mysterious trespasser outside her town house, some unknown party texts Tempe four images of a corpse that looks as if it’s been chewed by wild hogs, because it has been. Showboat Medical Examiner Margot Heavner makes it clear that, breaking with her department’s earlier practice ( The Bone Collection , 2016, etc.), she has no intention of calling in Tempe as a consultant and promptly identifies the faceless body herself as that of a young Asian man. Nettled by several errors in Heavner’s analysis, and even more by her willingness to share the gory details at a press conference, Tempe launches her own investigation, which is not so much off the books as against the books. Heavner isn’t exactly mollified when Tempe, aided by retired police detective Skinny Slidell and a host of experts, puts a name to the dead man. But the hints of other crimes Tempe’s identification uncovers, particularly crimes against children, spur her on to redouble her efforts despite the new M.E.’s splenetic outbursts. Before he died, it seems, Felix Vodyanov was linked to a passenger ferry that sank in 1994, an even earlier U.S. government project to research biological agents that could control human behavior, the hinky spiritual retreat Sparkling Waters, the dark web site DeepUnder, and the disappearances of at least four schoolchildren, two of whom have also turned up dead. And why on earth was Vodyanov carrying Tempe’s own contact information? The mounting evidence of ever more and ever worse skulduggery will pull Tempe deeper and deeper down what even she sees as a rabbit hole before she confronts a ringleader implicated in “Drugs. Fraud. Breaking and entering. Arson. Kidnapping. How does attempted murder sound?”

Pub Date: March 17, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-9821-3888-2

Page Count: 352

Publisher: Scribner

Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020

GENERAL MYSTERY & DETECTIVE | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | MYSTERY & DETECTIVE | SUSPENSE | THRILLER | DETECTIVES & PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS | SUSPENSE | GENERAL & DOMESTIC THRILLER

More by Kathy Reichs

by Kathy Reichs

• Discover Books Fiction Thriller & Suspense Mystery & Detective Romance Science Fiction & Fantasy Nonfiction Biography & Memoir Teens & Young Adult Children's
• News & Features Bestsellers Book Lists Profiles Perspectives Awards Seen & Heard Book to Screen Kirkus TV videos In the News
• Kirkus Prize Winners & Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Kirkus Prize Judges
• Magazine Current Issue All Issues Manage My Subscription Subscribe
• Writers’ Center Hire a Professional Book Editor Get Your Book Reviewed Advertise Your Book Launch a Pro Connect Author Page Learn About The Book Industry
• More Kirkus Diversity Collections Kirkus Pro Connect My Account/Login
• About Kirkus History Our Team Contest FAQ Press Center Info For Publishers
• Privacy Policy
• Terms & Conditions
• Reprints, Permission & Excerpting Policy

© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Popular in this Genre

Hey there, book lover.

We’re glad you found a book that interests you!

Please select an existing bookshelf

Create a new bookshelf.

We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!

Please sign up to continue.

It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!

Already have an account? Log in.

Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.

Almost there!

• Industry Professional

Welcome Back!

Sign in using your Kirkus account

Contact us: 1-800-316-9361 or email [email protected].

Don’t fret. We’ll find you.

Magazine Subscribers ( How to Find Your Reader Number )

If You’ve Purchased Author Services

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up.

A Well-Read Tart

A Food and Book Lover’s Blog

• BOOK REVIEWS
• BOOK-INSPIRED RECIPES
• Novel Writing
• Travel Diaries
• Messages from CJ
• Podcast: Dark Side of the Word

NINE PERFECT STRANGERS Book Review

Well. I’m never visiting a health resort. EVER.

I’m just going to start this review by saying that Nine Perfect Strangers did not go at all where I thought it would. A lot of people said they had a hard time getting through this entire book, and I didn’t quite understand what they meant until about halfway through — which is about halfway through the titular “nine perfect strangers'” experience at a luxury spa and health resort called Tranquillum House.

For the first half of this book, I drank the proverbial Kool-Aid — or, smoothie, in this particular case. Tranquillum House seems like the perfect place to relax, detox, and transform your life, and the results of the owner’s strict no tech/no talking/no sugar/no caffeine/no carbs policy seems to yield amazing results. Weight loss? You betcha. A sense of inner peace? Sign me up. Lessened anxiety? I’ll take two! Any health regimen that leaves me feeling physically, emotionally, and mentally refreshed, and a few pounds lighter sounds like a winner in my book.

I’ve read all of Moriarty’s previous novels, so I’m familiar enough with her works to know that she’s excellent at building a backstory. She takes her time in fleshing out the characters and setting the scene. Most of her books deal with the pressure to keep up appearances, and the eventual reveal of the chaos writhing beneath calm, carefully presented façades. Because of the author’s tendency to draw out the set-up, I did start to get antsy for The Twist I knew was coming. I didn’t know what exactly would be coming, but I knew something would. But, that’s part of the art of Moriarty. She takes her sweet time in getting there, and the build up is done so well that when The Twist does come, it’s simply devastating.

As usual, Moriarty does a great job in Nine Perfect Strangers of concealing the monsters that dwell within all of us — the hidden rage, the self-doubt, the pettiness, and the resentfulness we feel towards ourselves or our loved ones. Everyone at Tranquillum House has his/her own personal drama, but these problems are all hidden under carefully constructed facades. Each guest shows only what they want others to see, and it’s only as you read that the layers begin to peel back and you realize that, hey, not everyone has their shit together as much as you think.

Things start to go a little bonkers in the second half of the book. I sometimes feel like Moriarty’s twists are a little fantastical (see  The Husband’s Secret  and  The Hypnotist’s Love Story ) , but what happens at Tranquillum House really goes off the rails. I usually think of Moriarty’s books as “chick lit” because even though they touch upon very serious subjects (abusive relationships, husbands who secretly murder people and cover it up, adultery, depression and suicide), Moriarty portrays everything in a remarkably entertaining and somehow light-hearted way. You’re moved by the drama, but never to the point where you have to put down the book and walk away for a bit.

Until now. I feel  Nine Perfect Strangers firmly deviates from “women’s fiction” and swerves chaotically into thriller territory. Some of the situations got a little too intense for me, and I wasn’t a huge fan of the second part of the book. That’s not to say it’s not good …because it is. I just wasn’t expecting such intensity in a story that starts off at someplace (ironically) named Tranquillum House, and I was taken a little aback. The action escalates into what I could confidently call a “nightmare scenario” — or, several scenarios, actually, since they seem to snowball into each other — and that’s not quite what I was expecting with this novel.

With that in mind, though, everything that happens is a little…ridiculous? It’s not that what transpires in Nine Perfect Strangers   couldn’t happen in real life. Because, unfortunately, people be crazy. I could totally see the events happening under the right circumstances. But, as my old therapist used to counsel me, “It’s possible…but is it probable? ”

No…no, it’s not, not really. But, just in case, I think I’ll stay away from any health resorts that require me to give up my phone and access to the outside world. Just to be safe.

Nine Perfect Strangers is not my favorite Moriarty book (that place is still held by The Last Anniversary ), but it’s still a fast-paced, enjoyable, and exciting read. It keeps you guessing, and I really enjoyed the cast of characters in the book. Their backstories are compelling, and you become really engrossed in what brings each of them to the resort. Their pull on you is what keeps you reading when you’re ready to walk away because you’ve had it up to HERE with the crap going on at Tranquillum House (just like the characters!).

If you’re a Moriarty fan, I think you should read this one. It’s quintessentially the author we love, with a little bit more of an intense twist than perhaps we longtime fans are used to.

Have you read  Nine Perfect Strangers ? What about other Liane Moriarty books? Share below! And, be sure to come back for my book-inspired recipe: Citrus Quinoa Salad !

Share this:

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related Posts

MEREDITH, ALONE Book Review

• September 17, 2024

SLOW PRODUCTIVITY Book Review

• September 10, 2024

WILDERNESS REFORM Book Review

• August 6, 2024

THE SUMMER CLUB Book Review

• July 23, 2024

AN ESCAPE GOAT Book Review

• July 9, 2024

THE CURIOUS SECRETS OF YESTERDAY (DNF Book Review)

• June 25, 2024

HORSE Book Review

• June 11, 2024

THE JINN DAUGHTER (DNF Book Review)

• May 28, 2024

WHEN WE WERE SILENT Book Review

• May 25, 2024

THE VASTER WILDS Book Review

• May 14, 2024

RELATIVE STRANGERS Book Review

• April 30, 2024

FORGOTTEN SISTERS Book Review

• April 16, 2024

MORNING IN THIS BROKEN WORLD Book Review

• April 2, 2024

ONCE PERSUADED, TWICE SHY Book Review

• March 19, 2024

SEX ROMP GONE WRONG Book Review

• March 15, 2024

A BAKERY IN PARIS Book Review

• March 5, 2024

THE CLOISTERS Book Review

• February 20, 2024

SPARE Book Review

• February 6, 2024

THE ECHO WIFE Book Review

• January 30, 2024

THE TRUTH PROJECT Book Review

• January 23, 2024

THE FINAL GIRL SUPPORT GROUP Book Review

• January 16, 2024

THE FURY Book Review

• January 12, 2024

THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE Book Review

• January 9, 2024

HAPPY JOBS: DOING WHAT YOU LOVE FOR A LIVING Book Review

• January 2, 2024

Book Review of DECODING THE STARS: A Modern Astrology Guide to Discover Your Life’s Purpose

• December 12, 2023

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS Book Review

• November 28, 2023

HAMNET Book Review

• November 14, 2023

THE HACIENDA Book Review

• October 31, 2023

A TRUE ACCOUNT: HANNAH MASURY’S SOJOURN AMONGST THE PYRATES, WRITTEN BY HERSELF Book Review

• October 24, 2023

GREENWICH PARK Book Review

• October 10, 2023

GAD’S HALL and THE HAUNTING OF GAD’S HALL Book Reviews

• September 26, 2023

OLD COUNTRY Book Review

• September 12, 2023

A STORM OF INFINITE BEAUTY Book Review

• September 5, 2023

THE SPARROW SISTERS Book Review

• August 22, 2023

BEST SERVED HOT Book Review

• August 8, 2023

MY MAGNOLIA SUMMER (DNF Book Review)

• August 1, 2023

A NOVEL OBSESSION Book Review

• July 18, 2023

THE RESERVOIR Book Review

• July 11, 2023

LOCKDOWN ON LONDON LANE Book Review

• June 13, 2023

THE HOLLOW PLACES Book Review

• May 30, 2023

THE WINTER SEA Book Review

• May 2, 2023

CHICK MAGNET Book Review

• January 24, 2023

CHRISTMAS CHARMS Book Review

• December 13, 2022

AUNT DIMITY’S CHRISTMAS Book Review

• December 6, 2022

GHOSTS: A NOVEL Book Review

• November 22, 2022

HOUR OF THE WITCH Book Review

• November 8, 2022

THE COTTAGE ON PUMPKIN AND VINE and THE BAKESHOP AT PUMPKIN AND SPICE Book Reviews

• October 25, 2022

THE DROWNING KIND Book Review

• October 11, 2022

RECIPE FOR A PERFECT WIFE Book Review

• September 27, 2022

GHOSTER Book Review

• September 13, 2022

LOVE LIKE THAT Book Review

• August 30, 2022

THE LOST VILLAGE Book Review

• August 16, 2022

SURVIVING SAVANNAH Book Review

• August 2, 2022

ON WRITING: A MEMOIR OF THE CRAFT Book Review

• July 19, 2022

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING Book Review

• July 5, 2022

A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES (DNF Book Review)

• June 28, 2022

THE NEWCOMER Book Review

• June 7, 2022

WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING Book Review

• May 24, 2022
• 10 Comments

HIDDEN PICTURES Book Review

• May 13, 2022

THE CANDID LIFE OF MEENA DAVE Book Review

• May 10, 2022

A (NOT SO) LONELY PLANET: ITALY Book Review

• April 26, 2022

THE PULL OF THE STARS Book Review

• April 12, 2022

SUNRISE BY THE SEA Book Review

• March 29, 2022

THE BONE HOUSES Book Review

• March 15, 2022

THE PLOT Book Review

• March 1, 2022

FRIENDS AND STRANGERS Book Review

• February 15, 2022

THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE Book Review

• February 1, 2022

THE BABYSITTER Book Review

• January 28, 2022

A HOUSE AT THE BOTTOM OF A LAKE Book Review

• January 25, 2022

THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS Book Review

• January 21, 2022

HOMEGOING (DNF Book Review)

• January 18, 2022

THE GIRL WHO DIED (Book Review)

• January 14, 2022

APPLES NEVER FALL (DNF Book Review)

• January 11, 2022

RAVEN BLACK Book Review

• January 7, 2022

THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY Book Review

• January 4, 2022

CHRISTMAS JOY Book Review

• December 7, 2021

THE WINTER’S CHILD Book Review

• December 3, 2021

N0S4A2 Book Review

• November 23, 2021

THE LAST COMMANDMENT (DNF Book Review)

• November 12, 2021

THE OTHER BENNET SISTER Book Review

• November 9, 2021

DAISY JONES & THE SIX Book Review

• October 26, 2021

THE VOICES Book Review

• October 22, 2021

MY DARK VANESSA Book Review

• October 12, 2021

MEXICAN GOTHIC (DNF Book Review)

• October 1, 2021

THE GOWN Book Review

• September 28, 2021

PARTY OF TWO Book Review

• September 14, 2021

MIDNIGHT AT THE BLACKBIRD CAFE Book Review

• August 31, 2021

THE COOKBOOK CLUB Book Review

• August 17, 2021

A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW (DNF Book Review)

• August 13, 2021

THE LOST APOTHECARY Book Review

• August 3, 2021

MUSICAL CHAIRS Book Review

• July 20, 2021

BUNNY Book Review

• July 9, 2021

THE SUPREME MACARONI COMPANY Book Review

• July 6, 2021

THE SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB’S GUIDE TO SLAYING VAMPIRES Book Review

• June 22, 2021

THE MAIDENS Book Review

• June 8, 2021

IN FIVE YEARS Book Review

• May 25, 2021

THE DEAD GIRLS CLUB Book Review

• May 11, 2021

MEG and JO Book Review

• April 27, 2021

RED, WHITE, AND ROYAL BLUE (DNF Book Review)

• April 23, 2021

A SINGLE THREAD Book Review

• April 13, 2021

WOW, NO THANK YOU Book Review

• March 30, 2021

THE HEIR AFFAIR Book Review

• March 26, 2021

ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE Book Review

• March 16, 2021

THE HAUNTING OF BRYNN WILDER Book Review

• March 2, 2021

RHAPSODY (DNF Book Review)

• February 26, 2021

COSY: THE BRITISH ART OF COMFORT Book Review

• February 16, 2021

THE FLATSHARE Book Review

• February 2, 2021

AN IRISH COUNTRY FAMILY Book Review

• December 18, 2020

CHRISTMAS SHOPAHOLIC Book Review

• December 8, 2020

THE MERRIEST MAGNOLIA Book Review

• November 24, 2020

WINTER SOLSTICE Book Review

• November 10, 2020

HOUSE OF SALT AND SORROWS Book Review

• October 30, 2020

THEME MUSIC Book Review

• October 27, 2020

THE GIRL IN THE MIRROR Book Review

• October 16, 2020

THE BOOK OF LONGINGS Book Review

• October 13, 2020

THE WHISPER MAN Book Review

• October 6, 2020

BLANKY Book Review

• October 2, 2020

THE GRAVEYARD APARTMENT Book Review

• September 22, 2020

JERUSALEM MAIDEN Book Review

• September 8, 2020

RODHAM Book Review

• September 1, 2020

THE EXILES Book Review

• August 25, 2020

THINGS YOU SAVE IN A FIRE Book Review

• August 11, 2020

THE FINISHING TOUCHES Book Review

• July 28, 2020

THE TURN OF THE KEY Book Review

• July 24, 2020

LOCK EVERY DOOR Book Review

• July 7, 2020

AMERICAN ROYALS Book Review

• June 30, 2020

Book Review of AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE

• June 26, 2020

HELLO, SUMMER Book Review

• June 16, 2020

I CAN’T DATE JESUS Book Review

• June 9, 2020

THE SUN DOWN MOTEL Book Review

• June 2, 2020

THE PRINTED LETTER BOOKSHOP Book Review

• May 19, 2020

SUMMER RENTAL Book Review

• May 5, 2020

MAYBE YOU SHOULD TALK TO SOMEONE (DNF Book Review)

• April 21, 2020

Quick Look Books: Historical Fiction (April 2020)

• April 7, 2020

LITTLE DARLINGS Book Review

• March 24, 2020

CATHERINE HOUSE (DNF Book Review)

• March 13, 2020

AUNT DIMITY AND THE KING’S RANSOM Book Review

• March 3, 2020

THE JANE AUSTEN DIET Book Review

• February 18, 2020

Quick Look Books: Modern Love Stories (February 2020)

• February 14, 2020

SAINT X (DNF Book Review)

• February 7, 2020

FINDING THE GIFT Book Review

• February 4, 2020

AND THEN WE GREW UP Book Review

• December 17, 2019

Quick Look Books: Cookbooks (December 2019)

• December 10, 2019

THE LOST FOR WORDS BOOKSHOP Book Review

• November 26, 2019

ONE DAY IN DECEMBER Book Review

• November 12, 2019

THE INVITED Book Review

• October 29, 2019

THE CITY BAKER’S GUIDE TO COUNTRY LIVING Book Review

• October 15, 2019

THE HOCUS POCUS MAGIC SHOP Book Review

• October 11, 2019

THE SILENT COMPANIONS Book Review

• October 1, 2019

THE BOOKSHOP ON THE SHORE (DNF Book Review)

• September 27, 2019

THE FRIENDS WE KEEP Book Review

• September 24, 2019

BEAUTIFUL BAD (DNF Book Review)

• September 17, 2019

I OWE YOU ONE Book Review

• September 3, 2019

CIRCE Book Review

• August 20, 2019

DEATH IN THE COVENANT Book Review

• August 13, 2019

THE MOTHER-IN-LAW Book Review

• August 6, 2019

DESPERATE GIRLS Book Review

• July 23, 2019

SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES Book Review

• July 9, 2019

THE UNHONEYMOONERS Book Review

• July 2, 2019

Quick Look Books: Vacation Destination Reads (June 2019)

• June 18, 2019

THE KISS QUOTIENT Book Review

• June 4, 2019

THE THINGS SHE’S SEEN Book Review

• May 13, 2019

AN UNWANTED GUEST Book Review

• May 7, 2019

HOW TO BLOG FOR PROFIT (WITHOUT SELLING YOUR SOUL) Book Review

• April 30, 2019

THE LAST ROMANTICS (DNF Book Review)

• April 26, 2019

AN IRISH COUNTRY COTTAGE Book Review

• April 16, 2019

THE ENDLESS BEACH Book Review

• April 9, 2019

NO ONE TELLS YOU THIS Book Review

• April 2, 2019

Quick Look Books: Thrillers (March 2019)

• March 26, 2019

GLORY ROAD Book Review

• March 19, 2019

THE PERFECT NANNY Book Review

• January 18, 2019

Quick Look Books: Hygge Books (January 2019)

• January 15, 2019

RUSH Book Review

• January 8, 2019

HUNT THEM DOWN (DNF Book Review)

• January 4, 2019

UNSHELTERED (DNF Book Review)

• December 20, 2018

MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM Book Review

• December 18, 2018

THE WITCH ELM (DNF Book Review)

• December 13, 2018

FROM THE KITCHEN OF HALF TRUTH Book Review

• December 11, 2018

MELMOTH Book Review

• December 6, 2018

Quick Look Books: Christmas Books (December 2018)

• December 4, 2018
• 12 Comments

TWO STEPS FORWARD Book Review

• November 27, 2018

Quick Look Books: Food in Fiction (November 2018)

• November 20, 2018

THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO Book Review

• November 13, 2018

ALL WE EVER WANTED Book Review

• November 6, 2018

HORRORSTOR Book Review

• October 30, 2018

DAUGHTERS OF THE LAKE Book Review

• October 25, 2018

THE CABIN AT THE END OF THE WORLD Book Review

• October 23, 2018

LYING IN WAIT Book Review

• October 16, 2018

Quick Look Books: Supernatural Horror for Adults (October 2018)

• October 12, 2018

Quick Look Books: YA Supernatural Horror (October 2018)

• October 9, 2018

THE IMMORTALISTS Book Review

• October 2, 2018

THE EVER AFTER Book Review

• September 25, 2018

THE DARK DESCENT OF ELIZABETH FRANKENSTEIN Book Review

• September 24, 2018

Quick Look Books: Powerhouse Books (September 2018)

• September 18, 2018

THE ROAD TO LITTLE DRIBBLING (DNF Book Review)

• September 11, 2018

UNBURY CAROL Book Review

• August 28, 2018

Quick Look Books: Chick Lit (August 2018)

• August 21, 2018

YOU THINK IT, I’LL SAY IT Book Review

• August 14, 2018

IN A COTTAGE IN A WOOD Book Review

• July 31, 2018

THE HIGH TIDE CLUB Book Review

• July 24, 2018

FLORET FARM’S CUT FLOWER GARDEN Book Review

• July 17, 2018

STRAY CITY Book Review

• July 10, 2018

THE BROKEN GIRLS Book Review

• July 3, 2018

THE HIDEAWAY Book Review

• June 19, 2018

THE BIRD EATER Book Review

• June 12, 2018

8 thoughts on “ NINE PERFECT STRANGERS Book Review ”

Great Review, C.J.! I am in the minority and am not a fan of Liane Moriarty. But always like reading your reviews. 😀

Thanks, Claire! I find her novels to be lots of fun, but some are definitely easier to get into than others.

Great review! This was my least favorite Moriarty title as well. Have you read Celeste Eng? Not as “light” but you may enjoy her work.

I haven’t read anything by her yet, but she’s on my list. I’ve heard good things about Little Fires Everywhere. Thanks for the recommendation!

I have read a handful of Liane’s books. This one took a turn that I did not expect! I love her character development, you feel like you know the characters well. My favorite of hers is also The Last Anniversary. I have loved watching the TV series made from Big Little Lies.

Yay, another Last Anniversary fan! Such a great novel. And I also love the Big Little Lies TV show. I think this new season took a darker turn, but it was still really well done and entertaining.

I’m struggling to read Nine Perfect Strangers. Have read no other of her books. It is getting to the point as I near the end that I don’t much care what happens to them. I have this feeling Masha will become this maniacal Hitler but who knows?

Hi, M.J.! Unfortunately, this is not a good Liane Moriarity book to start out with, in my opinion. While a lot of her novels contain a little bit of suspense, this one goes a little over the edge! I recommend WHAT ALICE FORGOT if you want something sweet; THE LAST ANNIVERSARY for bittersweet; and BIG LITTLE LIES for a tinge of suspense!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Advertisement

Supported by

Books of The Times

Sinister Doings at a Luxury Spa? Must Be a New Liane Moriarty Novel

By Janet Maslin

• Nov. 5, 2018
• Share full article

At least Liane Moriarty’s new novel pampers her fans with its escapist premise. Wouldn’t it be nice to spend 10 days deliquescing at a spa named Tranquillum House, which sounds like a flower crossed with a state of bliss? That’s what the “Nine Perfect Strangers” of Moriarty’s latest book do, oblivious to even the most obvious warning signs.

So what if Tranquillum House has a grand staircase just like the one on the Titanic? So what if its proprietress is a little severe? The break with ordinary life promises to be refreshingly complete. The staff is spookily attentive and has aloe vera right at hand to treat even the visiting romance writer’s paper cut.

The writer, a gimlet-eyed blonde named Frances Welty, has fallen for the same pitch that lured the other eight: How about an “exclusive 10-Day Mind and Body Total Transformation Retreat”? Moriarty’s fans, who must have noticed Agatha Christie’s influence on her work by now, will realize that these strangers are agreeing to be locked up together, à la the crew in Christie’s “And Then There Were None.” At the very least, they will experience the alarm and sadism that Moriarty manages to combine with creature comforts.

As the author ticks off a chapter for each character, there is the dread that “Nine Perfect Strangers” will unfold methodically and not all that excitingly. The daily meditation, diet and exercise routines are chronicled down to each mandatory smoothie. The proprietress’s grandiose ideas about what she will do for her guests take up significant space, too. People duck each other at first, then begin talking way too much about the problems that brought them to Tranquillum — and there is no limit to the number of subplots Moriarty is eager to cram into a single book. Some of the problems are tragic (lost children; yes, that’s plural). Others (an addiction to cosmetic surgery, the miseries of winning the lottery) are silly beyond belief.

But there’s more going on here than just confessional chatter. Moriarty has tapped into a trendy therapeutic topic that gives her book its novelty. It should stimulate her fan base’s curiosity, and it gives this otherwise bland book an excuse to go way off the deep end. And it brings out the most extreme behavior in everyone present, especially Masha, the proprietress, who was none too stable to begin with. Not even the Buddha gets out of “Nine Perfect Strangers” without sounding slightly menacing once the book hits its temporary insanity phase. (“Ardently do today what must be done. Who knows? Tomorrow death comes.”)

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and  log into  your Times account, or  subscribe  for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?  Log in .

Want all of The Times?  Subscribe .

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes

Liane Moriarty's Nine Perfect Strangers  isn't perfect but it's still a fun, smart read: EW review

A Liane Moriarty novel feels a little bit like an Adele record (please bear with this metaphor): There’s huge excitement around the arrival of a new one — Nicole Kidman, who won just about everything short of a Nobel for her role in HBO’s blockbuster adaptation of Moriarity’s Big Little Lies , has already snatched up the rights to Nine — but a little snobbishness, too. As if making something that feels so good to sink into (and is nominally considered “woman’s work”) isn’t its own kind of art form.

Her latest, about disparate guests thrown together at a remote health resort, has no shortage of secrets, lies, and social intrigue; it’s like an Agatha Christie country-house mystery set in the Australian outback, with more kale-pineapple smoothies and less murder. There’s a disillusioned romance novelist, an aging ex-athlete, a wealthy young couple in the midst of a marriage crisis, a family struggling to recover from a recent tragedy, and an almost offensively good-looking divorce lawyer, among others.

Even the proprietress, a Russian émigré named Masha with a slightly mad gleam in her eye, is hiding more than she’ll admit to behind her Zen proclamations and glacial calm. (It’s hard not to picture some ice-blond Amazon somewhere between Tilda Swinton and Gwendoline Christie in the coming screen adaptation.)

While it all hums along like a well-calibrated engine, Nine Perfect Strangers never quite hits the narrative heights of past work like BLL and The Husband’s Secret — though it does feel much more immediate and enjoyable than her last, the disappointly drawn-out Truly Madly Guilty . Moriarity has a way of nesting inside her characters’ heads and bringing them to life in a way that’s not just relatable but illuminating; we know these people not because they’re archetypes but because they’re so specifically, universally human.

There will be a cascade of revelations before the last page, with almost no narrative ribbon left untied; the book’s innate breeziness often makes way for deeper reflections on grief, trauma, and recovery, and more than one surprisingly topical angle, too. But it’s also just good old-fashioned storytelling, full of feeling and well-wrought lines. You know, just like a great pop song. B+

Related Articles

• Biggest New Books
• Non-Fiction
• All Categories
• First Readers Club Daily Giveaway
• How It Works

Nine Perfect Strangers

Embed our reviews widget for this book

Get the Book Marks Bulletin

Email address:

• Categories Fiction Fantasy Graphic Novels Historical Horror Literary Literature in Translation Mystery, Crime, & Thriller Poetry Romance Speculative Story Collections Non-Fiction Art Biography Criticism Culture Essays Film & TV Graphic Nonfiction Health History Investigative Journalism Memoir Music Nature Politics Religion Science Social Sciences Sports Technology Travel True Crime

September 20, 2024

• A case for writing exercises
• Nietzsche’s use of philolog y
• James Miller considers a new translation of Capital

Review: Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

• Post published: November 6, 2022
• Post last modified: November 6, 2022

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning that if you buy something, I might earn a small commission from that sale at no cost to you. As always, my links support indie bookstores. Read my full disclosure  here .   Thank you for your support.

Content warnings for  Nine Perfect Strangers  provided at the bottom of this post, for those who would find them useful. You can find  further details on content warnings here .

I’ve also reviewed Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty. You can find that review here.

Nine Perfect strangers by Liane Moriarty summary

Nine people gather at a remote health resort. Some are here to lose weight, some are here to get a reboot on life, some are here for reasons they can’t even admit to themselves. Amidst all of the luxury and pampering, the mindfulness and meditation, they know these ten days might involve some real work. But none of them could imagine just how challenging the next ten days are going to be.  Frances Welty, the formerly best-selling romantic novelist, arrives at Tranquillum House nursing a bad back, a broken heart, and an exquisitely painful paper cut. She’s immediately intrigued by her fellow guests. Most of them don’t look to be in need of a health resort at all. But the person that intrigues her most is the strange and charismatic owner/director of Tranquillum House. Could this person really have the answers Frances didn’t even know she was seeking? Should Frances put aside her doubts and immerse herself in everything Tranquillum House has to offer – or should she run while she still can?  It’s not long before every guest at Tranquillum House is asking exactly the same question.

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty Review

I read Apples Never Fall before Nine Perfect Strangers — I know, I know, the wrong order when considering the popularity of Liane Moriarty titles. Nine Perfect Strangers was only vaguely on my list of books to read (a kind of I’ll-get-around-to-it title), but was bumped up to the front when the Hulu adaptation popped up on my screen, begging to be clicked.

But, being the master of self-restraint that I am, I forced myself to read the book first. It only took a day.

I really enjoyed Apples Never Fall , but Nine Perfect Strangers blew it out of the water. I hate to say that, because it always bums me out when an author’s subsequent works aren’t as good, but I can’t lie.

Moriarty is a master of the ensemble cast. I knew this from the first read, but the characters in Nine Perfect Strangers were so vivid. There were a couple that felt a little less fleshed-out than others, but all were intriguing nonetheless. There was no character that made me groan when switching to their POV, which is quite a feat.

Recently we’ve had a lot of books that seem to get a little autobiographical in that they have a main character involved in the publishing industry or living the life of an author that isn’t all that dissimilar to the actual writer. (*Ahem* Sally Rooney’s Beautiful World, Where Are You . ) Fortunately, this wasn’t unbearable. Frances, the romance writer taking on the “main” character role, has hit a rough patch in her career. It felt like a much more honest picture of the author life, not some glamorous fairytale that, in reality, exists for few in the profession. She was also funny and relatable in a way that doesn’t come off as overdone.

It’s a good read, and I’m eager to update this post with my thoughts on the Hulu series, as well.

CW: Mental illness, suicide, abuse (physical, mental, emotional, verbal, sexual), death or dying, kidnapping and other events that might be consider traumatic, pregnancy, self-harm and eating disorders

Share this:

You might also like.

Top New Book Releases: November 15, 2022

Review: Heating & Cooling by Beth Ann Fennelly

New Release Tuesday: January 17, 2023

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

(I will not sell your data.)

• Bookreporter
• ReadingGroupGuides
• AuthorsOnTheWeb

The Book Report Network

Sign up for our newsletters!

Regular Features

Author spotlights, "bookreporter talks to" videos & podcasts, "bookaccino live: a lively talk about books", favorite monthly lists & picks, seasonal features, book festivals, sports features, bookshelves.

• Coming Soon

Newsletters

• Weekly Update
• On Sale This Week

Fall Reading

• Summer Reading
• Spring Preview
• Winter Reading
• Holiday Cheer

Word of Mouth

Submitting a book for review, write the editor, you are here:, nine perfect strangers.

NINE PERFECT STRANGERS has everything fans of Liane Moriarty will love: witty, smart writing that’s full of humor, intrigue and surprises.

In this out-of-the-gate bestseller, Moriarty puts together a cast of strangers (nine, to be perfectly exact) at a 10-day retreat at Tranquillum House. Each has a different motivation for attending, and each has her/his own expectations of the retreat format and its outcomes. Bound by an uncertainty in this new experience --- full of meditations, mindfulness activities, uncustomary protocols, and kicked off with a five-day noble silence --- the guests begin to diffuse their resistances and learn about themselves in novel ways. The imposed restrictions unite these strangers in an unexpected manner until they are all wondering and asking themselves the same question.

"NINE PERFECT STRANGERS has everything fans of Liane Moriarty will love: witty, smart writing that’s full of humor, intrigue and surprises."

Imagine a place where you sign up and pay to be stripped of the very things you rely on daily, like Google searches, phones and even speech. Every one of the retreat-goers feels some level of insecurity or discomfort with the rules and policies of the resort --- well, except perhaps Napoleon, who is a rule-follower extraordinaire. Yet everyone relinquishes some control and surrenders themselves to the instructions of the director, Masha, no matter how unusual, and Frances observes, “How quickly people adapted to strange rules and regulations!” What makes people do that? Politeness? Fear of standing out? Curiosity? Desire for the promised transformation?

Through the characters and their variety of needs and situations, Moriarty reveals truths of human nature and norms of our modern culture. For example: Who of us wouldn’t feel at least a little like Jessica, who “felt like she’d had something amputated”? I dare you not to see a bit of yourself somewhere in one of these nine strangers (or perhaps the Tranquillum House staff).

I laughed so often, especially with the lead character, Frances, a middle-aged, once-popular romance writer. Moriarty has some fun poking at the real-world publishing culture as Frances reads a male author’s serious work of literary fiction with internal commentary before tossing it across the room. It’s such a treat to discover the hidden Easter eggs.

Whether you’re a Liane Moriarty fan or new to her writing, you’re in for a fantastic read with NINE PERFECT STRANGERS. I recommend opening the pages of this book and entering Tranquillum House knowing very little, which is why I’m sharing very little. Join these nine perfect strangers with an open mind, ready to be surprised.

Reviewed by Leah DeCesare (www.leahdecesare.com) on November 20, 2018

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

• Publication Date: November 6, 2018
• Genres: Fiction , Women's Fiction
• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Flatiron Books
• ISBN-10: 1250069823
• ISBN-13: 9781250069825

Review by Tegan Lyon

Nine Perfect Strangers is the eighth novel from Australian author Liane Moriarty, widely known for her bestseller Big Little Lies and its wildly popular HBO adaptation starring Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern. Following the immense success of Big Little Lies , Nine Perfect Strangers came with high expectations; Kidman even optioned the rights before the novel was published in September 2018.

With the TV adaptation set to premiere in Australia on August 20 th , there will no doubt be creative licences taken with Moriarty’s characters and the novel’s Australian setting. The adaption has attracted several big names, with Nicole Kidman staring as Masha—a character that will predictably be given an increased role—and Melissa McCarthy taking on the role of Frances. If the limited series is anything like its source material, Nine Perfect Strangers will be entertaining and easy to digest, while ruminating on loss, disconnection, and the plausibility of self-improvement.

Nine Perfect Strangers unfolds over ten days at a wellness retreat with the interweaving narratives of nine guests, all seeking a mental and physical reset. Located in the remote bushlands of northern New South Wales, the wellness retreat is aptly named “Tranquillum House”. At the helm of this transformative resort is director Masha, a figure once referred to as a “celestial being”, who promises to heal, detox and reform each guest using unorthodox, yet rewarding, methods. Guests must unplug from the outside word, cleanse their bodies of toxins, meditate, exercise, and observe periods of fasting and noble silence, all for a hefty fee under the guise of self-improvement.

It’s an environment that’s rife for character development and the novel enjoys a glacial pace as it peels back the layers of these nine strangers and reveals their backstories. Most of the guests at Tranquillum House are grieving in some way—over a relationship, a loved one, an old life—or experiencing bouts of self-loathing, and in some cases, both. The novel is light on plot and its dawdling pace might frustrate some readers, particularly since certain characters and their subsequent journeys resonate more than others. But for readers (like this one) who relish character growth over plot advancement, the novel’s slow burn will be a satisfying one, as it has the effect of evolving in real-time across the ten-day program.

The most notable and entertaining of Moriarty’s characters is Frances, a wry, charming, and prolific romance author previously caught up in a fraudulent dating scam. Frances’ narration also offers several metatextual jokes and references about genre fiction and “unseemly mass market sales of ‘airport trash’”, an obvious nod to Moriarty herself, whose books have been derisively branded as “chick lit”.

Among the other eight guests are Napoleon, Heather and Zoe Marconi, a family recovering from a personal tragedy; Ben and Jessica, a young, wealthy couple on the brink of separation; Tony, a retired athlete; Lars, a self-proclaimed health-retreat junkie; and Carmel, a recently divorced mother of four. While most characters are worth investing in, others aren’t as fully formed. Allocated only a handful of chapters, Lars feels underdeveloped and contributes little to the story, except for the occasional moment of brevity. Conversely, Carmel is intentionally one-dimensional. Her self-worth is defined by her perfectly healthy weight, and she bores several other characters with repeated talk of her narrow obsession.

Unfortunately, the novel’s main antagonist, Masha, lapses into cartoonish territory in the latter half of the story. Her quasi-inspiring speeches begin to fall flat and what might have once sounded profound becomes empty, corporate, team-building nonsense as she loses control of her guests. Even when key pieces of her history are revealed to contextualise her behaviour, Masha is disappointingly two-dimensional and never fully humanised. Ironically, where most of her guests experience personal growth, Masha simply regresses. Nine Perfect Strangers oscillates between a hopeful and cynical view of wellness retreat fads and the industry as a whole. At times the novel makes light of the extreme activities that have been engineered for mental clarity, such as fasting and periods of silence, while also noting that the wellness industry is exclusively accessible to privileged people. But there are true moments of insight and healing peppered throughout the story that make a strong case for self-reformation. The overarching question that underpins the whole novel is, how much can a person really change themselves? And moreover, do these changes last? Even with a satisfying conclusion and several neatly tied threads, Moriarty refuses to answer these questions definitively.

Nine Perfect Strangers was published by Pan Macmillan and has an RRP of $32.99. It is available from most online and local retailers.

Tegan Lyon is a new student of the Master of Creative Writing, Publishing and Editing program at The University of Melbourne. She recently returned from a road trip around Australia, where she lived in a tent for the better part of five months. She didn’t read any of the books she brought with her.

Share this:

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Click to print (Opens in new window)

Discover more from Grattan Street Press

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Type your email…

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

• NONFICTION BOOKS
• BEST NONFICTION 2023
• BEST NONFICTION 2024
• Historical Biographies
• The Best Memoirs and Autobiographies
• Philosophical Biographies
• World War 2
• World History
• American History
• British History
• Chinese History
• Russian History
• Ancient History (up to c. 500 AD)
• Medieval History (500-1400)
• Military History
• Art History
• Travel Books
• Ancient Philosophy
• Contemporary Philosophy
• Ethics & Moral Philosophy
• Great Philosophers
• Social & Political Philosophy
• Classical Studies
• New Science Books
• Maths & Statistics
• Popular Science
• Physics Books
• Climate Change Books
• How to Write
• English Grammar & Usage
• Books for Learning Languages
• Linguistics
• Political Ideologies
• Foreign Policy & International Relations
• American Politics
• British Politics
• Religious History Books
• Mental Health
• Neuroscience
• Child Psychology
• Film & Cinema
• Opera & Classical Music
• Behavioural Economics
• Development Economics
• Economic History
• Financial Crisis
• World Economies
• Investing Books
• Artificial Intelligence/AI Books
• Data Science Books
• Sex & Sexuality
• Death & Dying
• Food & Cooking
• Sports, Games & Hobbies
• FICTION BOOKS
• BEST NOVELS 2024
• BEST FICTION 2023
• New Literary Fiction
• World Literature
• Literary Criticism
• Literary Figures
• Classic English Literature
• American Literature
• Comics & Graphic Novels
• Fairy Tales & Mythology
• Historical Fiction
• Crime Novels
• Science Fiction
• Short Stories
• South Africa
• United States
• Arctic & Antarctica
• Afghanistan
• Myanmar (Formerly Burma)
• Netherlands
• Kids Recommend Books for Kids
• High School Teachers Recommendations
• Prizewinning Kids' Books
• Popular Series Books for Kids
• BEST BOOKS FOR KIDS (ALL AGES)
• Books for Toddlers and Babies
• Books for Preschoolers
• Books for Kids Age 6-8
• Books for Kids Age 9-12
• Books for Teens and Young Adults
• THE BEST SCIENCE BOOKS FOR KIDS
• BEST KIDS' BOOKS OF 2024
• BEST BOOKS FOR TEENS OF 2024
• Best Audiobooks for Kids
• Environment
• Best Books for Teens of 2024
• Best Kids' Books of 2024
• Mystery & Crime
• Travel Writing
• New History Books
• New Historical Fiction
• New Biography
• New Memoirs
• New World Literature
• New Economics Books
• New Climate Books
• New Math Books
• New Philosophy Books
• New Psychology Books
• New Physics Books
• THE BEST AUDIOBOOKS
• Actors Read Great Books
• Books Narrated by Their Authors
• Best Audiobook Thrillers
• Best History Audiobooks
• Nobel Literature Prize
• Booker Prize (fiction)
• Baillie Gifford Prize (nonfiction)
• Financial Times (nonfiction)
• Wolfson Prize (history)
• Royal Society (science)
• Pushkin House Prize (Russia)
• Walter Scott Prize (historical fiction)
• Arthur C Clarke Prize (sci fi)
• The Hugos (sci fi & fantasy)
• Audie Awards (audiobooks)

Book Reviews on...

Nine perfect strangers, by liane moriarty, recommendations from our site.

“She’s crafted a very engaging story, that is very much a page turner. All the shimmering attractions of the modern wellness industry are there—infinity pools, super-smoothies, personal wellness advisors—but so too are all the anxieties. The plot clearly veers towards an image of the wellness industry as something malevolent, even cultish, a set of practices that verge on brainwashing and which raise difficult questions about consent.” Read more...

The best books on Wellness

James Riley , Literary Scholar

Our most recommended books

On liberty by john stuart mill, war and peace by leo tolstoy, middlemarch by george eliot, nineteen eighty-four by george orwell, frankenstein (book) by mary shelley, the confessions by augustine (translated by maria boulding).

Support Five Books

Five Books interviews are expensive to produce, please support us by donating a small amount .

We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

This site has an archive of more than one thousand seven hundred interviews, or eight thousand book recommendations. We publish at least two new interviews per week.

Five Books participates in the Amazon Associate program and earns money from qualifying purchases.

© Five Books 2024

The Ending of the Nine Perfect Strangers Book Won't Give Away the Show's

Star Samara Weaving promises a "very different" conclusion.

Our editors handpick the products that we feature. We may earn commission from the links on this page.

How far would you go to reach enlightenment—or just a state of relaxation? In Hulu's Nine Perfect Strangers (which airs on Wednesdays ), nine people venture into an experimental wellness retreat and test themselves, all in the name of self-improvement.

Like HBO's Big Little Lies , Nine Perfect Strangers is based on a book by the Australian author Liane Moriarty. Speaking to NPR, Moriarty revealed that her target, when writing the book, was wellness culture, especially elaborate and expensive rituals like the kind offered in the show. "I believe in mindfulness and I believe in hot stone massages,"she told NPR . "But at the same time, people are spending huge amounts of money on ridiculous drinks and products that clearly have no benefit whatsoever," all for something as elusive as "transformation."

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

The novel's 451 pages are narrated by the nine guests at Tranquillum House, as well as its employees—including the spa's mastermind, Masha Dimitriov. An all-star cast , featuring Nicole Kidman as Masha and Melissa McCarthy as jaded novelist Frances Welty, bring Moriarty's well-drawn characters to the screen, with a slightly more American twist (though the series was filmed in a spa on the Australian coast.) For example, Tony Hogburn (played by Bobby Cannavale) is an Australian football player in the book, and an American football has-been in the show.

But the differences between the book and series go beyond Australian and American cultural quirks. For example, whereas the show is set in a sleek wellness center, the book takes place in a historic mansion. That alone gives the two works a much different vibe.

Read on for a synopsis of the book, as well as the major differences between the book and movie.

The big spoiler: Masha is drugging the spa's guests as a way to get them to open up.

From the start of their 10-day stay at Tranquillum House, the nine guests realize this is not going to be a vacation. First, Yao and Delilah, the spa's resident "wellness consultants," take things out of their bags. Confiscated contraband includes chocolate, alcohol, cell phones, and anything else that falls in the category of "indulgences."

Not long after arriving, Masha announces the guests must remain silent for five days. Luckily, the show eliminates this plot line—five episodes of silence might not make for the most compelling TV. After adjusting to perpetual quiet, the guests go along with Masha's other insistent ideas, like drinking regular smoothies.

On the fifth day, Heather Marconi notices her family is behaving strangely. In short, they're far more forthcoming with their emotions than usual. She correctly guesses that Masha is spiking their smoothies with drugs. Indeed, Masha is micro-dosing them with LSD, claiming the drug is a "shortcut" to healing.

At the end, Masha's experiment gets out of hand.

Think of Masha as a mad scientist. She prioritizes the result more than the process —even if the process involves people's sanity. Her "ends justify the means" attitude culminates at the end of the book, when she pushes her experiment to the limit.

After drugging the retreat's guests with LSD and ecstasy, she locks them in main room without food or water. Moriarty describes their hallucinations and behavior in great detail—which means in the show, we may be treated to watching Melissa McCarthy have a drawn-out conversation with miniature people.

The trouble escalates when the guests come down from their highs, and learn they're trapped in a nightmare escape room. No matter what lengths the guests go to, they're unable to find the code to open the lock.

Meanwhile, Masha, Yao and Delilah are watching the guest's progress from Tranquillum House's built-in CCTV. Yao and Delilah lose faith in their leader, questioning Masha's grip on reality. It doesn't help that she, too, is high on LSD. Delilah steals Ben's Lamborghini and runs away; Yao leaves Masha and abandons the guests to their fate.

As the guests brainstorm (and languish), they hear fire from upstairs. Could it be Masha's cigarettes, her one indulgence? They imagine the fire coming for them. Then, they realize it's not a fire, but the sound of a fire playing on a loop.

Rescue arrives when the police catch Delilah in Ben's car, and return to Tranquillum House. Turns out the door was always open, if only they'd tried the knob. Yao and Masha are arrested and the guests leave the resort in desperate need of vacation.

Books By Liane Moriarty

Nine Perfect Strangers

The Husband's Secret

Big Little Lies

What Alice Forgot

Masha's backstory motivates her extreme actions..

Nine Perfect Strangers explores how our past influences our present, and how transformation inevitably requires working through lingering trauma. Masha, like the spa's guests, has baggage—and Moriarty unspools it gradually.

Masha was born and raised in the Soviet Union. She and her husband moved to Australia, where she rose in the business world. After a health scare and near-death experience, Masha leaves her company and starts Tranquillum House.

But she's also motivated by tragedy. Masha had an infant son who died after accidentally strangling himself with curtain strings. At the end of the novel, Moriarty reveals Masha was pregnant at the time of the accident. However, she was so ravaged by grief that she could not acknowledge her son's existence, nor the fact that she was still a mother.

Eventually, she became so detached her husband left her. He started a family with an Australian woman, and always wanted Masha to acknowledge her living son. In fact, at the end of the book, she becomes a grandmother, and he writes her a letter. "One day Masha would answer. One day she would weaken, or find the strength, and she would answer," Moriarty writes.

All of the characters' stories are wrapped up at the end of the book.

Each of the "strangers" enters Tranquillum House with a problem—actually, multiple. The Marconi family is grieving the loss of their son, Zach. Frances suffered the twin blows of losing her heart to a con artist and having her latest novel rejected by her publisher. Ben and Jessica's relationship has been frayed by winning the lottery, a burden disguised as a blessing.

Masha thought she could cure them, and maybe she was right. At the end of the book, Moriarty provides updates on the characters' lives, and shows how they did manage to grow . Here's how the characters fare in the book.

• Masha appears on TV advertising her top-secret courses, which involve—you guessed it—microdosing guests. Someone's back to her old tricks.
• Ben and Jessica get divorced on good terms. Jessica embarks on a career as a reality TV star; Ben returns to his simpler life as a mechanic.
• The Marconi family seems to heal: Heather finally sleeps through the night, and Napoleon enters therapy.
• Carmel befriends her husband's new wife.
• Lars decides he's open to having a child with his boyfriend, Ray. Yao marries his childhood sweetheart and has a child.
• And finally, in the ultimate happy ending move, Frances marries Tony.

But the show is poised to end much differently.

While the book and show share characters, they won't share an en ding. Speaking to Digital Spy, star Samara Weaving—who plays influencer Jessica Chandler—says the characters in the show will fare differently than their novel counterparts.

"The script is very different from the book in that it ends very differently for a lot of different characters," Weaving said. She added that Masha specifically has a different arc—so that climactic sequence might not even appear in the show. We'll have to wait until episode 8 to find out.

Elena Nicolaou is the former culture editor at Oprah Daily. 

TV & Movies

Adam Glassman's Fave Looks at the 2024 Emmys

Emayatzy Corinealdi on Her Fiercest Role Yet

Watch the Trailer for Tyler Perry’s Next Film

Watch Oprah Talk Weight in a New Special

The Best Movies to Watch on Mother's Day

5 Surprising Facts About Anderson Cooper

Adam Glassman Talks Style at the 2024 Oscars

This Clip of Oprah from 1990 Is Helping Us Heal

Sheryl Lee Ralph Asked to Star in “Sister Act 3”

Gayle Wears the Same Dress on CBS 12 Years Later

The Best Valentine’s Day Movies Ever

The Golden Wedding is Making Reality-TV History

Nine Perfect Strangers review: sharp dialogue and excellent performances can’t hide the hollowness of the story

Senior Lecturer in English and Cultural Studies, University of Canterbury

Disclosure statement

Erin Harrington does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

University of Canterbury provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU.

University of Canterbury provides funding as a member of The Conversation NZ.

View all partners

This review contains minor spoilers for the first six episodes of Nine Perfect Strangers.

Nine Perfect Strangers is a polished take on wellness culture that is less “eat the rich” than “pass the Kool-Aid”. Adapted from Liane Moriarty’s bestselling 2018 novel, it takes place at a secretive, high-end wellness retreat called Tranquillum, an on-trend Scandi dream of bare light wood and open spaces overseen by a mysterious Russian woman, Masha (Nicole Kidman).

Nine people — a grieving family, a couple on the rocks, and four individuals in crisis — have signed up for a ten-day plunge into self-actualisation. As Masha and the staff gleefully tell one another, the group is volatile. By halfway through the season, bets are on as to who is going to completely lose it, and how much damage they are going to do.

As the dreamy, psychedelic title sequence suggests, Masha’s version of therapeutic practice may be a little less conventional than the guests have anticipated. Tranquillum’s invasive techniques are barely masked by the soft voices and benign smiles of the staff. Behind the scenes, conflicts are getting out of hand.

Masha’s background is also murky. She brings the same ruthlessness to her role as wellness guru as she did her prior life as a CEO, before a life altering experience took her from boardroom to yoga studio.

As she ups her surveillance of the guests and her idiosyncratic therapeutic “protocols”, her motivations and sense of ethics are opaque. We know there has been tragedy at the retreat before, but for her, the promise of nine cathartic breakthroughs – nine changed lives – justifies the ethically dubious and probably illegal means.

She’s also being threatened; Tranquillum is not so safe.

Suspense, and dramedy

As in producer David E. Kelley’s other collaborations with Kidman, Big Little Lies (2017-19) and The Undoing (2020), the camera frequently lingers on Kidman’s uncanny face, emphasising moments of emotional intensity. She’s intense and willowy, Galadriel by way of Gwyneth Paltrow. It is nearly impossible to trust or read her.

These narrative lines provide a sense of mounting suspense, but the series’ mysteries are really window dressing. They are ultimately secondary to a very traditional character dramedy that wants to have things both ways.

Nine Perfect Strangers opens with overt suspicion of the commodification of wellness, present in both the (well-founded!) concerns of the characters and the framing of the retreat itself. Tranquillum offers the sort of bougie, self-indulgent therapeutic experience only the navel-gazing, super-rich can buy.

Read more: Marketing, not medicine: Gwyneth Paltrow’s The Goop Lab whitewashes traditional health therapies for profit

But this initial satirical impulse is just a hook; there’s little critique present. Instead, as the show progresses, each desperate character embraces the process and addresses their damage.

There’s an uncomfortable sense that the over-priced, therapeutic model which distils trauma into bon mots, timetabling catharsis and manipulating its subjects, might not be a bad thing.

The show’s aesthetic heightens as the doors of perception open. Director Jonathan Levine offers luscious close-up sequences of fruit being macerated and blitzed for daily smoothies, capturing a dual sense of sensuality and latent threat. Images start to distort, colours intensify, and the camera roams woozily. Editing ably charts emerging alliances, catching fleeting glances and moments of candour.

Although the show is set in the US, the Australian location — which is rich with bamboo, bird of paradise flowers and banyan trees — gives a sense we are somewhere outside of the “real” world.

Stellar performances

The dialogue is clever and often funny – eminently quotable. As relationships develop, and the retreat intensifies, the exceptional ensemble cast shines. The guests, who have been carefully selected by Masha, are there to heal each other as well.

They share pointed intimate conversations while lazing on pool toys or sitting in swinging bowers surrounded by outdoor lamps. Each performer balances groundedness and vulnerability, even as their characters loosen their grip on reality.

The show cares about its characters (mostly), even as it puts them through the wringer, although it’s hard to feel sorry for a lottery winner whose wealth has led to existential boredom (Melvin Gregg).

Bestselling author Frances (Melissa McCarthy) is a bundle of shame and self-recrimination who strikes up an alliance with Tony (Bobby Cannavale), an abrasive burnout.

Grieving mother Heather (Asher Keddie) swings from depression to dreamy elation, as her husband Napoleon (Michael Shannon) loses grip of his happy-go-lucky exterior and succumbs to his pain. Their daughter Zoe (Grace Van Patten) celebrates her 21st birthday, supported by the guests but haunted by the death of her twin brother.

Lars (Luke Evans) is a prickly control freak with a hidden agenda. Samara Weaving gives a particularly beautiful, brittle performance as a sweet rich girl whose Instagram-perfect exterior hides extreme distress. Carmel (Regina Hall) is a woman on the edge, straying very close to a “crazy black woman” trope.

‘Maybe I’m hollow’

As Lars announces, “so much self-loathing, so little time”. But does the “nudge, nudge” self-awareness of the show make up for its conventional, reductive view of trauma?

Frances confesses her best-selling novels are gimmicky: they’re “shallow takes on whatever the flavour of the moment is, and I shove some romance into it – they’re hollow”, finishing with “maybe I’m hollow”.

After one of Masha’s speeches, another character asks “what did that mean? It sounded like it had meaning”.

In contrast to the excoriating satirical take on wealth and boredom present in television series The White Lotus, it’s hard not to see such comments as a get out of jail free card.

Nine Perfect Strangers is well-shot, entertaining and more than a little pulpy, but if you’re searching for enlightenment then it would pay to look elsewhere.

Read more: Freud, Nietzsche, Paglia, Fanon: our expert guide to the books of The White Lotus

Nine Perfect Strangers will be streaming on Amazon Prime in Australia and New Zealand from this Friday.

• Psychedelics
• Amazon Prime
• Nicole Kidman

Chief People & Culture Officer

Lecturer / senior lecturer in construction and project management.

Lecturer in Strategy Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Education Focused) (Identified)

Research Fellow in Dynamic Energy and Mass Budget Modelling

Communications Director

Advertise   Contact   Privacy

Browse All Reviews

New Releases

List Reviews by Rating

List Reviews by Author

List Reviews by Title

Nine Perfect Strangers

Quick recap & summary by chapter.

The Full Book Recap and Section-by-Section Summary for Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty are below.

Quick(-ish) Recap

The one-paragraph version of this: Nine Perfect Strangers is about a group of people who go to attend a fancy but strange wellness resort where they each work on their personal issues. They later get trapped in a room at the order of the resort director, Masha, and learn that it's all part of her experimental treatment where she's been administering them micro-doses of LSD.

A group of people show up to a wellness resort (the Tranquillium House) for a 10-day retreat. It includes Frances (romance novelist), Lars (health-retreat junkie), Ben and Jessica (rich young couple), Carmel (divorced single mother and Tony (divorcee). Plus, there's the Marconi family, consisting of Napoleon (schoolteacher), his wife Heather and their daughter Zoe . Tranquillium House has weird, stringent rules. As the guests do activities like hikes, therapy and meditation, we learn more about why they're all there. The Marconis lost a child, Zach. Ben and Jessica won the lottery and it changed their relationship. Frances was scammed by a man pretending to date her. Carmel's ex-husband and daughter are off traveling with his new fiancee, and she's here to lose weight.

Meanwhile, Masha is the resort director, and Yao and Deliah are wellness consultants. They are surveilling the guests closely. On Day 5, Heather figures out that the smoothies they've been fed are drugged. Masha admits that they've been micro-dosing them with LSD (to help them open up), but tried out a larger dose today. The guests are upset, but are soon all too high to do anything about it. High and hallucinating, they have various revelations. Lars sees how his parent's unhappy marriage has made him afraid to marry his loving partner, Ray. Heather feels guilty about Zach's suicide because she gave him medication that causes depression. Carmel decides she loves her body as it is.

When they sober up, the guests realize they are locked in. As they try to find a way out, the staff discusses the situation. (Deliah realizes this is not going to end well and leaves, stealing Ben's Lamborghini on the way out.) This was supposed to be a teamwork exercise, but Masha decides she's trying something new. When Yao protests, she drugs him. Masha gives the guests a new game to play, but then starts thinking of her baby son who strangled himself (with a curtain cord) while she'd been distracted with work and died. She takes LSD and is soon clearly out of her mind. The guests hear and smell a fire outside and are freaking out until they realize it's just a recording. They door is now unlocked and outside there's just a small wastebasket with burnt stuff.

Now free, Masha (still high) asks them if they're pleased with their revelations and results. When Heather insults Masha, Masha attacks her, so Frances knocks her out. A cop shows up (he went to check it out after catching Deliah speeding in the stolen car) and they tell him what happened. Masha and Yao are arrested. Afterwards, the guests end up resolving the root issues they went to the resort for. Many years later, Masha is out of jail, has written a book and has a exclusive, secretive LSD-based (illegal) therapy program still going on. Frances and Tony marry.

If this summary was useful to you, please consider supporting this site by leaving a tip ( $2 , $3 , or $5 ) or joining the Patreon !

Section-by-Section Summary

Yao, a trainee paramedic, tries to help a stressed out businesswoman, Masha. Other people keep interrupting, she has a cardiac arrest and is carried out.

Ten Years Later

Chapters 2 – 5

Frances Welty , a romance novelist, has been having back pain. She knows it is psychosomatic. She’s on her way to 10-day getaway to Tranquillum House, a boutique health and wellness resort. She is twice divorced and currently going through another breakup. She pulls over when she feels a back spasm coming on. A man offers her assistance, which she refuses. Her agent Alain calls to tell her he’s having trouble selling her book. There was a scathing review of her books published recently as well.

Melissa McCarthy as Francis in Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers Adaptation

Lars Lee is a health-retreat junkie. He stops off at a vineyard before he heads into Tranquillum house.

Ben and Jessica Chandler are a young married couple. Their marriage has been rocky. Jessica wanted to come, but Ben did not. And he’s concerned that the dirt road is messing up his Lamborghini. Ben thinks Jessica is too obsessed with social media, appearances and what celebrities are doing. She’s been getting a lot of plastic surgery. Things changed between them about two years ago after the robbery, and Ben wonders if this place can fix it.

Jessica and Ben in Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers Adaptation

Chapters 6 – 8

Yao, who is now a personal wellness consultant at Tranquillum. The other wellness consultant is a woman named Delilah. Yao welcomes Frances and gives her a tour. When Frances mentions possibly going home early, and Yao cryptically comments that no one goes home early.

A nurse comes to give Frances a blood test. Yao also tells her that drinking the smoothies are mandatory, and Frances has to have over any electronic devices. When Frances checks her bag, she sees they’ve removed her “contraband” — some wine and chocolate — that she had snuck in.

She gets a message, and tells the masseuse that her back problems started a few weeks ago after a man she had been dating for six months, Paul, asked her for a large amount of money and then ghosted her. Detectives later confirmed he was a scam artist, preying on single older women. He always pretended he had a son, Ari, and that something happened to Ari that he needed money for.

Jan , the masseuse, talks about her own boyfriend Gus and them cryptically warns her about the getaway — don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with, she says.

Napoleon Marconi , a tall and chatty man, shows up with his equally tall wife, Heather , and daughter, Zoe .

In their room, Jessica and Ben get settled. Jessica thinks about the robbery of their house that took place two years ago. She had assumed it was Lucy, Ben’s addict sister, who had robbed them, but it turned out it wasn’t. At the time, they hadn’t had much worth stealing. Jessica reads that the first five days of the retreat will be a period of silence, with no talking, reading, writing, touching, etc. They have thirty minutes before it starts, and Jessica hopes Ben will touch her or initiate sex, but he doesn’t.

Chapters 9 – 14

Masha (Maria Dmitrichenko) is now the director of Tranquillum House. She goes through the file of the nine clients who are there for the retreat. Frances, Ben, Jessica, Lars, plus the three Marconis. The last two names are Carmel Schneider , a divorced single mother, and Tony Hogburn , a divorced man who is interested in weight loss. Masha wonders why the Marconis are here.

Nicole Kidman as Masha in Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers Adaptation

As the group gathers for their first group meditation, Frances sees the man that had stopped to help her. Masha introduces herself to the group.

Napoleon is a schoolteacher with high blood pressure. Heather is a midwife. Zoe, a 20-year-old college student, had suggested they come. Zoe had a twin brother, Zach, who died three years ago and it would have turned 21 during the trip if he had lived. Zoe’s parents are now very over-protective, but she puts up with it because she understands they are grieving and in pain.

Frances and Zoe duck outside to chat and get to know one another. Zoe promises to read one of Frances’s book, even though she never reads romance novels.

Chapters 15 – 20

In the middle of the night, they all get woken up for the starlight meditation. They see a falling star.

Lars’s partner Ray had wanted to join him at the retreat, but Lars had asked him not to. Ray also wanted kids, but Lars said no. Ray’s sister Sarah had offered to be a surrogate.

Jessica is thinking about how she’d post about this experience on social media if she had her phone. She thinks back on how Ben’s mom had sent them a lottery ticket after they’d been robbed and they won 22 million dollars. It changed their lives, but also changed the people around them. Ben seems dissatisfied with it all and they grew apart.

The next day is a hike, and Heather nearly walks off a cliff but her husband stops her.

From Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers Adaptation

Afterwards, Tony’s legs are sore. He goes for a swim. Tony is 56. He used to be fit, but no longer. He thinks about his kids who he’d neglected and now he rarely sees. His ex-wife sees them all the time. When they’d finally gotten counseling it was already too late, and she said he’d always took her for granted. He signed up for this retreat to change his life.

Frances goes to swim and he sees Tony, who had asked her if she needed help before. She gets a bloody nose and he helps her with that too.

In her office, Masha surveils all the residents on security cameras and audio equipment in their rooms.

Chapters 21 – 28

Carmel goes to swim and thinks about how her kids are off in Paris with her ex-husband and his new fiance, Sonya. They’re on the trip that they’d always talked about, except now she’s not there. She’s determined to be a good sport about the divorce, and tries to be supportive when talking to her kids, but inside she’s full of self-loathing. She knows she should be glad her kids like Sonya, but she’s jealous deep down.

Carmel wants to lose weight, and her sister signed her up to the retreat as a gift.

Yao, Delilah and Masha have a staff meeting. Yao was in a personal crisis (broken engagement with a woman named Bernadette , divorcing parents, etc.) and having a depressive episode when Masha asked him to join the staff of her new venture. Working at Tranquillum House saved him.

It’s now been four days. Frances has a counseling session with Masha. She ends up asking Masha about herself. Masha shares that she has an ex-husband who she emigrated with from Russia to Australia.

In Carmel’s counseling session, Masha pushes her to speak more confidently and walk more confidently. She wants her to be willing to take up space and be seen.

In Tony’s session, Masha talks about what it felt like to nearly die when she had the cardiac arrest.

While Napoleon does yoga, he thinks about Zach’s death and how it broke his wife. Zach killed himself three years ago and didn’t leave a note. Zach was a good kid, but impulsive. Napoleon think that if he had just woken up on time that morning and knocked on Zach’s door, perhaps Zach’s fleeting impulse would’ve been prevented.

Zoe meanwhile troubles over the fact that she always tells people she and Zach were never close. When she tells people, they feel relieved since it seems like she will be less upset over his passing. But it bothers her.

Heather feels guilt and rage over Zach’s death as well.

Chapters 29 – 30

After the fifth day, the silent period is over. The guests are now welcome to speak to each other freely. They drink smoothies and are invited to introduce themselves to each other.

Then, Lars says he’s recognized Tony since day one. Tony is a former footballer named Smiley Hogburn. He has a smiley face tattoo on his butt.

Chapters 31 – 44

Suddenly, Heather realizes that they’ve laced the smoothies with some type of drug. Masha doesn’t deny it, saying they’ve used micro-dosing of LSD on them. Then, she admits that the latest smoothies were a different, larger dose. Everyone is angry, and they’re talking about lawyers, etc.

But they’re also soon very high.

Lars thinks about why he has a wall up with his partner Ray. A part of him resents Ray for his happy, loving childhood. Lars’s dad left his mom for another woman and was screwed during the divorce settlement. Now Lars works as a divorce (family) lawyer and only represents women in similar situations.

Due to the drugs, Lars sees himself as a little boy. He realizes how much Ray loves him, and that all Ray wants is to be loved.

Luke Evans as Lars in Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers Adaptation

Frances sees her friend who died last year, plus a bunch of her exes. Frances realizes she didn’t care that much about Paul, but she was still heartbroken over Paul’s fake son. She had believed that she would be a mother to that boy.

Carmel imagines herself picking out a new body, but ends up going with the ones her kids love, which is her current body.

Zoe sees Zach. As Napoleon and Zoe grieve over Zach, Heather says she needs to them it was her fault. She gave Zach asthma medication without reading the side effects, which include depression and suicidal tendencies. Napoleon says she couldn’t have known. But Zoe says she knew something was wrong, but she and Zach had been fighting so she didn’t do anything. Napoleon feels some anger over these revelations but promises himself he will never say anything to them.

Michael Shannon as Napoleon in Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers Adaptation

Jessica and Ben talk about winning the lottery. Jessica likes being rich, but Ben liked their old life. Jessica admits she scratched his Lamborgini because she was jealous he liked it more than her. Ben wonders if the money isn’t like it’s some type of big destructive animal they adopted and perhaps they should just give it away. Jessica reveals that she’s pregnant.

Chapters 44 – 50

When they awake, they realize they are locked in. Masha and Yao are gone. They can’t get out and hours pass. They try different door codes and try picking the lock to no avail.

A few people admit to themselves they kind of enjoyed being high. Ben thinks about how he and Jessica kissed a lot while they were high, but isn’t sure what it really means for their relationship. He realizes it wasn’t about re-connecting, it was about saying goodbye.

They know there’s a security cam and assume that Masha can hear them. Jessica tries offering her money to let them out.

Masha, Yao and Delilah, meanwhile, are in fact watching, listening to and analyzing all of them. Masha gets mad at Yao for not knowing that Jessica was pregnant (since otherwise she would not have given her drugs), and he insists that she’s not.

Delilah thinks Masha and Yao have gone off the deep end. They’ve been micro-dosing for a long time and no one ever noticed (and resulted in people thinking the retreat was really working), and she didn’t really care.

But giving guests enough to get them really high is a new thing, and is not going to end well. She can tell Yao is too infatuated with Masha to think clearly and is a lost cause and leaves, taking Ben’s Lamborghini on the way out.

Chapters 52 – 53

As Carmel talks to Jessica, she realizes that Jessica might not be pregnant as her period is only a few days late. Jessica also reveals that she stopped taking birth control and didn’t tell Ben. He’s pissed.

Tony tells Frances that he’s claustrophobic and this situation is getting to him. He talks about retiring from sports and how he now runs a sports marketing consultancy. He realized a while he was depressed or something and is now trying to fix it.

Chapters 55 – 64

Masha and Yao continue watching them. It’s supposed to be a code-breaking exercise / escape room activity for them to bond as a group, but it’s taking much longer than anticipated. In the room, the group finally notices something on the ceiling.

After a lot of effort and an injury, they finally find a package hidden in the ceiling. It’s a Russian doll, but it’s empty. Watching them, Yao is surprised that it’s empty, since there’s supposed to be a door code. Masha says that she had an epiphany and is trying something different.

Yao insists on letting them out, and Masha injects him with a syringe.

The lights go out and soon Masha appears on a screen in the room. They can see Yao unconscious with her. She says they are playing a game called “Death Row” where they will be assigned to defend each other and why that person deserves to live.

Manny Jacinto as Yao in Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers Adaptation

Chapters 65 – 71

Masha recalls her past and her ex-husband. She had an 11-month-old son. She remembers that he called out to her, but she was busy with work, so she ignored him for a few minutes. When she finally went to check on him, he was dead. He had strangled himself to death on the blind cords in his room.

Though her husband forgave her, she couldn’t forgive herself or face him, so she left him. She’s upset thinking about this memory and takes some LSD. She starts seeing hallucinations.

The Death Row “presentations” start, but Masha is very obviously out of her mind. She’s displeased with them and tells them all to do push-ups, but then they start to smell smoke. Something’s burning. The screen goes blank.

They can hear the cackle of fire and there’s more smoke. They are huddled together in hear for a while.

Finally, someone realizes that the sounds they are hearing are repeating. It’s a recording.

Chapters 72 – 74

Yao awakes and goes to rescue them, but they’ve escaped. The door had been unlocked for the last few hours. The smoke came from some stuff burning in a wastebasket outside the door. Yao finds them and offers them breakfast, but they’re in no mood.

Masha shows up, and she asks them if they are pleased with their results. When Heather insults her, she lunges at Heather with a letter opener, Frances hits Masha with a candelabra and takes her out.

Then, a cop shows up. It’s Gus, the boyfriend of the masseuse that works there, Jan. He’d stopped Delilah for speeding in the yellow Lamborgini that she stole. He had deduced from stuff Jan had told him that this was Delilah and this car was stolen. He came to Tranquillum House to check things out.

Masha and Yao are arrested. The group goes out for wine and pizza. Tony asks Frances out and she says yes.

Regina Hall as Carmel in Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers Adaptation

A Few Weeks/Months Later

Jessica is not pregnant. She and Ben split up amicably.

Carmel’s kids are delighted to see her. The Paris trip didn’t really go smoothly. Her ex-husband is irate. Sonya offers to help out with some things, and Carmel finds that she’s glad to have more support in taking care of her kids.

Frances decide to try her hand at a murder mystery. She and Tony continue dating.

Lars tells Ray they can think about having kids.

Napoleon has been struggling with depression since finding out about the reasons for Zach’s death and Heather hiding things from him. They are going for counseling and working things out.

Lucy (Ben’s addict sister) dies of an overdose. He thinks about calling Jessica, but calls Zoe instead.

Five Years Later

Yao had pleaded guilty, but Masha claimed she was responsible for all of it so his sentence was suspended. He’s barred from the medical profession in any capacity though. One day out of the blue, his ex-fiancee called, and they ended up getting back together. He now has a 2-year-old child.

Masha is on television. She is now out of jail and has written a book about the use of psychedelic drugs in 10-day wellness therapies involving facing fears and solving riddles.

The interviewer mentions that there’s rumor’s she’s running an exclusive, illegal program in secret locations where she provides LSD as part of personal-development regiments. There’s a waiting list.

Elsewhere, Masha’s ex-husband sees her on television. He’s with his granddaughter, who is also Masha’s granddaughter. After their son died, a few months later their second son was born, but Masha gave him up, too ashamed of herself to be a mother. Instead, her ex raised him.

He gave up trying to reach out to Masha for a while, but with the birth of the new baby granddaughter he has started sending photos again, knowing that one day she will respond.

Frances moves with Tony to Sydney. She has a career resurgence. Eventually they marry.

Questions and Answers

Share this post

Middle of the Night

The Housemaid is Watching

She’s Not Sorry

The Seven Year Slip

Darling Girls

It Finally Happened + Summer Romances

Best Literary Fiction of 2024 (New & Anticipated)

The Housemaid Book Series Recap

2024’s Best Book Club Books (New & Anticipated)

Bookshelf: Development Diary

Share your thoughts Cancel reply

• study guides
• lesson plans
• homework help

Nine Perfect Strangers Summary & Study Guide

Nine Perfect Strangers Summary & Study Guide Description

The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Moriarty, Liane. Nine Perfect Strangers. Flatiron Books, 2018. Kindle Edition.

The narrative, which is mostly told in the third person perspective of each of the major characters, begins with Yao, a trainee paramedic, and his partner, Finn, answering an emergency call placed by the PA of a woman named Masha. When they arrive, Masha says that nothing is wrong with her and insists on continuing to do her work. Then, she has a seizure. Yao misinterprets the situation and thinks that they need to wait for the seizure to end. Finn, however, realizes that she is in cardiac arrest. They transport her to the hospital. She survives the heart attack, and her stay in the hospital causes her to make a radical career and lifestyle change. She becomes healthy and fit and opens a health and wellness resort called Tranquillum House. She recruits Yao and Delilah, the PA who saved her life by calling the paramedics, to work for her.

Ten years after Masha's life-changing heart attack, the point of view charges to the third-person perspective of Frances Welty, a romance writer suffering from physical pains manifested by career and romance issues. She is on her way to Tranquillum House due to the recommendation of a friend of hers. From the reviews, Frances discovers that guests either loved their stay there or hated it. On her way, she has a hot flash and stops on the side of the road, waiting for it to pass. A man who she calls the serial killer steps to help her. She convinces him that she is fine and continues her journey. She arrives at Tranquillum House, but cannot open the gate. Finally, a couple arrives in Lamborghini, and they all gain access into the resort.

Once inside, Frances meets Yao, who is her personal guide. He shows her around and points out that she will be spending a lot of time in the yoga and meditators room. She also gets a massage from a women named Jan who is dating a policeman named Gus. In addition to Frances, there are eight other guests who are there for the 10-day treatment. Ben and Jessica are there in the hopes of saving their marriage. Carmen wants to lose weight. Tony wants a new outlook on life, and Lars is trying to deal with a rupture in his relationship with his partner, Ray, who wants a child while he does not. Napoleon, his wife Heather, and their daughter Zoe, are looking to deal with the grief they feel due to the suicide of Zoe’s twin brother, Zach.

For Frances, and the rest of the guests whose own stories and views intersperse with hers, the Tranquillum House method takes getting used to, but they manage. She meets Masha and finds her impressive. Then one night, Yao and Delilah wake up the guests and take them to the yoga and meditation room. They do not think this is strange as they have had to get up in the middle the night before. However, this time, Heather notices something strange and forces Masha to confess that she has drugged everyone. The guests are not happy in general, but it is already too late. They go through guided therapy during which they

address their problems.

They fall asleep and when they wake up, they discover that they are locked in the room. Masha, Yao and Delilah watch them as they try to figure out how to unlock the door which seems to need a code. The length of time it takes them to find the clue which should give them the code annoys Masha. When they finally realize where the code is located, their method of obtaining it also annoys her. The code should be in a Russian doll, but even to Yao’s surprise, it is not there. Masha gives them another clue that the group misses at the time. Yao becomes upset when Masha tells him that there Is no code because the guests need to feel fear. When Masha, Yao, and Delilah hear the guests discussing notifying the police, Delilah says that she will make some tea, but leaves the premises in Ben's car instead. Masha sedates Yao who threatens to let the guests out of the room. Afterwards, Masha thinks of ways to make her guests feel fear. She makes them defend each other and then makes them believe that the resort is burning down. However the guests realize that there is not a fire and Frances realizes that the door may now be unlocked. The group tries it and it is. They go upstairs and confront Yao who is now awake and tries to appease them. They tell him that they need to report their actions to the police. Masha appears and attacks Heather and when she and Heather exchange words about motherhood. Frances stops her by hitting her on the head.

As a result of their actions, Marsha spends time in jail, but then becomes sought after due to her methods. Yao receives a suspended sentence, marries his ex-fiancee, and has a child. Frances and Tony get married and Frances writes a bestseller. Lars tells Ray that he will consider having a child. Ben and Jessica get a friendly divorce and realize that it is for the best, and Carmel accepts her body and embraces her life. Napoleon, Heather, and Zoe move on as a family and come to terms with Zach’s

Read more from the Study Guide

FOLLOW BOOKRAGS:

• Trending on RT

9 Things To Know About Nine Perfect Strangers

Stars nicole kidman, bobby cannavale, melissa mccarthy, and others break down what you need to know about the series based on liane moriarty's book..

TAGGED AS: Hulu , streaming

Nine Perfect Strangers , Hulu’s star-studded adaptation of Liane Moriarty ’s novel, follows a group of people from various backgrounds who visit a wellness center called Tranquillum House for what they believe to be a 10-day restorative retreat.

But this is not a vacation they will soon forget. Run by mysterious and ethereal Masha Dmitrichenko ( Nicole Kidman ) and her minions including Yao ( Manny Jacinto ) and Delilah ( Tiffany Boone ), the resort offers the promise of restoration and healing. But at what cost?

As the characters and the audience begin to question Masha’s motives, the situation becomes complicated, and it grows harder for guests to leave Tranquillum House before check-out.

Rotten Tomatoes spoke to the series cast and rounded up nine things you need to know about Nine Perfect Strangers before it premieres August 18.

1. It’s Not a Horror Series

(Photo by Hulu)

Despite the premise set up with that logline — “All is not well” — series director Jonathan Levine  said this is a show that “really transcends genre.”

“I certainly thought about horror and certainly thought about thrillers,” he said during the show’s Television Critics Association summer press tour panel. “But at the end of the day, even though we’re playing with those tropes, I think, for me, it was about character and about these beautiful people that you kind of empathize with and fall in love with.”

Still, he said, “We certainly were playing with the audience’s expectations and using genre as a vehicle to tell this story and to keep it compelling.”

2. But It Is  a Show About Pain

(Photo by Vince Valitutti/Hulu)

The series discusses pain, but the emotional not what you’d find in a slasher flick. Regina Hall ’s (pictured) Carmel Schneider is a divorcee who hopes things like losing weight will help her issues. Melissa McCarthy ’s Frances Welty is a novelist experiencing setbacks in her career and personal life.

“Doing the show made you think a lot about what you do to cover up your problems,” McCarthy said at TCA, adding that “at some point, you have to get it out. So it’s like you’re already in the midst of being miserable and suffering, so make a change. And that’s so much what I think this show is about.”

3. The Guests Aren’t All Strangers to Each Other

Michael Shannon (above right) and Asher Keddie (above center) play husband-and-wife Napoleon and Heather Marconi, who are at the wellness center with their daughter Zoe ( Grace Van Patten ) after experiencing a loss. Melvin Gregg (above left) and Samara Weaving play married couple Ben and Jessica Chandler, who have mastered the façade of perfection.

Both families are experiencing emotional strains in their relationships. At one point, during a trust exercise, Heather’s grief consumes her so much that she considers diving off a cliff.

“That was really poignant for me, actually, for the character, because it really spoke to the bigger question in the show,” Keddie told Rotten Tomatoes. “And that moment, when she is quite literally on the precipice, I think she has reached a point in her life where she actually just doesn’t know how to connect anymore.”

Van Patten added that “when you see Zoe, she has really pushed down a lot of her emotion and trauma and has been living in her parents’ trauma more than her own.”

When Zoe encounters Masha at Tranquillum, her instinct is to run, but there’s nowhere to go.

4. Fleeting Fame Is Also a Theme

In addition to Gregg and Weaving’s social media celebrities and McCarthy’s novelist, Bobby Cannavale ’s former athlete Tony Hogburn has reached that stage in his career where people feel like the recognize him — but they don’t know why.

In this case, Tony would rather you don’t know who he is.

“Part of that is the wardrobe,” Cannavale told Rotten Tomatoes. “I think this guy has physically transformed himself. He’s gained all this weight. And he does not want to be recognized.”

Cannavale describes the character as “pretty aggressive,” but “it’s behavior coming out of desperation.”

“Whether he realizes it or not, I think he’s trying to wake himself up,” Cannavale said. “I think he’s so numbed by these drugs and by how his entire life and those relationships have been clouded over by that, I think any kind of provocation will stimulate him in the right way.”

5. The Show Plays with Social Media’s Perceptions of Perfection

Weaving’s Jessica is beautiful but also lacks self-esteem and confidence. She is addicted to her phone, which she (like everyone else) must relinquish upon check-in. It pains her that she can’t Instagram a beautiful breakfast spread at the retreat.

Weaving told Rotten Tomatoes that she herself has “always had terrible anxiety” that she has managed through medication and therapy.

“Anxiety is such a mental state,” she said of playing Jessica. So she tried “to see how that could manifest physically. So I gave her a scratch and some ticks and rapid eye movements and things like that.”

She also “did a lot of research and talked to a lot of people who suffer from body dysmorphia.”

6. Tranquillum Seeks Out People Who Feel Like They’ve Exhausted All Other Options

Why would Jessica and Ben, who roll up in a fancy sports car, go here when they could just try couples therapy? Or when they could spend their time relaxing at a Hawaiian luxury hotel with Wi-Fi?

“I think they’ve done all of this stuff,” Gregg told Rotten Tomatoes. “Their life is a vacation and they tried couples therapy, but nothing is working … but she feels like the problem is bigger. So we need you need to take more extreme options.”

Jacinto added, “There comes a point in all our lives where you just reach this point of desperation where you need help. You can’t find it in your spouse or in your family. So you need someone to tell you that everything’s gonna be OK. And, when someone is that vulnerable, there can be abuses of power and abuses of trust.”

7. The Show Explores Wealth Inequality

Much like HBO’s The White Lotus , Nine Perfect Strangers  examines the excesses and expectations of wealthy people and how some lose sight of the humanity of the staff members catering to their whims.

“Diving into it more and maybe thinking about it after the project, you can’t help but sit back and think: How much money do these people have to spend? ” Jacinto tells Rotten Tomatoes. “But, I mean, I’m sitting there judging them when, at the end of the day, I am such a sucker for self-improvement and for wanting to be better.”

Both series embed lower-income characters into the facilities’ guest lists, and those characters express a degree of imposter syndrome, in which they openly remark on their worthiness to be guests. And while The White Lotus draws strict lines around its predominantly white guests and ethnically diverse staff, Nine Perfect Strangers offers more of a mix on both sides of the equation.

8. Jacinto Is Here For Your The Good Place Comparisons

The actor, who rose to fame playing the delightful simpleton Jason Mendoza on The Good Place is aware that this is yet another series where a bunch of unsuspecting individuals arrive at a utopia lorded over by a character played by a tall acting icon (in the NBC comedy, it was Ted Danson). But in this version, Jacinto’s Yao is in on it all. How do you play someone who knows all the secrets but can’t tell anyone?

“I think it’s finding an anchor in regards to what my character wants,” he told Rotten Tomatoes. “With Yao, all he wants to do is serve and help people. As long as he serves that purpose, he’s not going to reveal the possible risks that that purpose might entail.”

9. Kidman Stayed in Character the Whole Time

“I sort of found the accent due to putting together her whole life story and made it a Russian-American mix,” Kidman told reporters during the TCA panel. “The first scene we shot was the scene where I come in in the room and say, ‘I am Masha. Welcome to Tranquillum.’ And then, I was able to stay in that place.”

She adds that “I wanted a very calm healing energy to emanate all the time. So, I remember going over to people and sort of putting my hand on their heart or holding their hand.”

She also said she wouldn’t respond when people called her “Nicole,” and she’d have people run scenes with her in her rooms, but “I would create a different space for them. So it was a really weird place to exist.

“It was the only way I could actually relate to people was that way,” she said, “because I felt like, otherwise, I would be doing a performance, and I didn’t want to feel that way.”

Nine Perfect Strangers premieres August 18 on Hulu .

On an Apple device? Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Apple News.

Related News

Renewed and Cancelled TV Shows 2024

TV Premiere Dates 2024

100 Best Movies on HBO and MAX (September 2024)

Agatha All Along First Reviews: Kathryn Hahn Powers a Unique, Satisfying Spin-Off

Movie & TV News

Featured on rt.

September 20, 2024

The Transformers One Cast on Finding Their Voice and Lifelong Friendships

DC Comics TV Ranked by Tomatometer

Top Headlines

• DC Comics TV Ranked by Tomatometer –
• Marvel TV Ranked by Tomatometer –
• Best TV Shows of 2024: Best New Series to Watch Now –
• 50 Best New Horror Movies of 2024 –
• 100 Best Movies on HBO and MAX (September 2024) –
• All Transformers Movies Ranked by Tomatometer –

• Kindle Store
• Kindle eBooks
• Literature & Fiction

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Audiobook Price: $21.65 $21.65

Save: $14.16 $14.16 (65%)

Buy for others

Buying and sending ebooks to others.

• Select quantity
• Buy and send eBooks
• Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.

Sorry, there was a problem.

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required .

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Image Unavailable

• To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

Nine Perfect Strangers Kindle Edition

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, n ow a Hulu original series “If three characters were good in Big Little Lies , nine are even better in Nine Perfect Strangers .” —Lisa Scottoline, The New York Times Book Review From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Little Lies Could ten days at a health resort really change you forever? In Liane Moriarty’s latest page-turner, nine perfect strangers are about to find out... Nine people gather at a remote health resort. Some are here to lose weight, some are here to get a reboot on life, some are here for reasons they can’t even admit to themselves. Amidst all of the luxury and pampering, the mindfulness and meditation, they know these ten days might involve some real work. But none of them could imagine just how challenging the next ten days are going to be. Frances Welty, the formerly best-selling romantic novelist, arrives at Tranquillum House nursing a bad back, a broken heart, and an exquisitely painful paper cut. She’s immediately intrigued by her fellow guests. Most of them don’t look to be in need of a health resort at all. But the person that intrigues her most is the strange and charismatic owner/director of Tranquillum House. Could this person really have the answers Frances didn’t even know she was seeking? Should Frances put aside her doubts and immerse herself in everything Tranquillum House has to offer – or should she run while she still can? It’s not long before every guest at Tranquillum House is asking exactly the same question. Combining all of the hallmarks that have made her writing a go-to for anyone looking for wickedly smart, page-turning fiction that will make you laugh and gasp, Liane Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers once again shows why she is a master of her craft.

• Print length 463 pages
• Language English
• Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
• Publisher Flatiron Books
• Publication date November 6, 2018
• File size 4332 KB
• Page Flip Enabled
• Word Wise Enabled
• Enhanced typesetting Enabled
• See all details

Customers who bought this item also bought

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com review.

2018 Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist: Best Fiction Best of 2018: People , Publishers Weekly , Glamour , Real Simple , PopSugar, Kobo, LitHub Best of Fall: Goodreads, Entertainment Weekly , Cosmopolitan , Vogue , Elle , USA Today , Harper’s Bazaar , AARP, CrimeReads, BookRiot, PureWow, InStyle, Bustle, and Refinery29 “A treat for Big Little Lies fans....Witty and poignant, Moriarty’s storytelling is worth every penny.” ― People , Book of the Week “[A] smart and suspenseful page-turner.” ― Woman’s World “An entrancing read…An early holiday present for Moriarty fans, Nine Perfect Strangers is a darkly comical novel that defies classification. It manages to be wildly funny and richly emotional at the same time, proving that the Big Little Lies author still has a lot to offer her readers.” ― Bustle “As she did in Big Little Lies , Liane Moriarty writes compelling, realistic characters. Readers will devour Nine Perfect Strangers .” ― Real Simple “Moriarty is back with another page-turner.” ― TIME “Irresistible.” ― Entertainment Weekly “Liane Moriarty is a master of sustained tension.” ― Washington Post “Promises to be a lively page-turner.” ― Vogue “A cannily plotted, continually surprising, and frequently funny page-turner and a deeply satisfying thriller. Moriarty delivers yet another surefire winner.” ― Publishers Weekly , starred and boxed review “Liane Moriarty serves up laughs, thrills, surprises.” ― Associated Press “Each reveal is a delicious surprise… Nine Perfect Strangers is so well written and slyly constructed that it won’t feel like enough.” ― Booklist “This latest work from the author of Big Little Lies makes us cower, laugh, reflect, cry, and fall in love right alongside the characters.” ― Family Circle “Can’t wait for Season 2 of Big Little Lies ? Satisfy your craving with Moriarty’s new novel. At a remote health resort, nine people gather, eager for change. Despite the luxurious new-age comforts that surround them, each realizes that the next 10 days will be tougher than they could ever imagine. Things may not be what they seem in this addictive read.” ― Observer “The wildly popular Big Little Lies author is back with another irresistible story that’s both suspenseful and surprisingly funny.” ― AARP ’s The Girlfriend “No one writes about the minutiae of women’s lives with quite as much insight and pull as Moriarty, who wrote Big Little Lies , and yet again her slow-burning plotting leaves you gasping at the very end. I’m jealous of anyone who hasn’t read this yet.” ― Grazia (UK) “Liane Moriarty is simply unparalleled at infusing flawed characters with humor and heartbreak. Her singular brand of storytelling was most recently showcased when her bestselling novel Big Little Lies was made into an Emmy-winning HBO miniseries. Nine Perfect Strangers is a worthy follow-up, offering an irresistible take on our wellness-obsessed culture, where the weirder the treatment, the better.” ― BookPage “ Nine Perfect Strangers has everything I look for in a Moriarty novel: colorful, relatable characters and a page-turning narrative infused with humor and warmth…a wise, wonderfully immersive read.” ― Augusta Chronicle “Readers and movie stars alike cannot get enough of Moriarty and her addictive novels, which explore the secrets of suburbia with wit, empathy, and enough plot twists to have Alfred Hitchcock applauding from the grave.” ― San Diego Union-Tribune “Liane Moriarty is a serious talent...[She] paints a picture with color, sound, aroma, mood, and fragments of the characters’ inner monologues, telling us their stories in quick details while the transformation goes off the rails.” ― News & Observer “Liane Moriarty seamlessly leads the reader through an unpredictable maze of struggles with love, loss, and understanding. Her pacing, character development, and knack for packing a surprise punch will keep readers engaging in literary therapy by turning the pages late into the night.” ― Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Praise for Liane Moriarty’s Novels : “Funny and scary.” ―Stephen King “Sharply intelligent.” ― Entertainment Weekly “Irresistible.” ― People “Simply exquisite.” ― Bookreporter “Powerful.” ― The Washington Post “Brilliant.” ―Sophie Hannah “Gob-smacking.” ― BookPage “Superb.” ― Parade “Spellbinding.” ―Emily Giffin “Gripping.” ―Oprah.com “A wonderful writer.” ―Anne Lamott “Like drinking a pink cosmo laced with arsenic.” ― USA Today “Mesmerizing.” ― Family Circle “So, so good.”―Jojo Moyes “The ferocity that Ms. Moriarty brings…is shocking.” ― New York Times

About the Author

Product details.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07C75GRLY
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Flatiron Books (November 6, 2018)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 6, 2018
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 4332 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 463 pages
• #144 in Women's Psychological Fiction
• #251 in Domestic Thrillers (Kindle Store)
• #378 in Mothers & Children Fiction

About the author

Liane moriarty.

Liane Moriarty is the Australian author of nine internationally best-selling novels: Three Wishes, The Last Anniversary, What Alice Forgot, The Hypnotist’s Love Story, Nine Perfect Strangers and the number one New York Times bestsellers: The Husband's Secret, Big Little Lies, Truly Madly Guilty and Apples Never Fall. Her books have been translated into over forty languages and sold more than 20 million copies.

Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers and Apples Never Fall were adapted into popular television series with the star-studded casts including Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Melissa McCarthy and Annette Bening.

Her new novel, Here One Moment will be released in 2024.

Liane lives in Sydney, Australia, together with her husband, son and daughter.

Customer reviews

• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 5 star 42% 32% 18% 5% 3% 42%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 42% 32% 18% 5% 3% 32%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 3 star 42% 32% 18% 5% 3% 18%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 2 star 42% 32% 18% 5% 3% 5%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 42% 32% 18% 5% 3% 3%

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers find the book entertaining, satisfying, and a joy to experience. They appreciate the descriptive writing and believable characters. Readers describe the book as humorous, quirky, and thought-provoking. However, some find the beginning slow and the second half rushed.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the book entertaining, satisfying, and a delight to experience. They describe it as a lively page-turner with issues to get their teeth into. Readers also mention the author is excellent at building suspense and adding twists.

"...It’s a fast paced fun read . I couldn’t put it down long enough to miss it. If you liked Big Little Lies, chances are you will like this one." Read more

"...The book is quirky, fun, and entertaining , yes, but it left me feeling dissatisfied and wanting more. Oh well. I’m still excited for the next one." Read more

"...Rich character development, smooth dialogue and steady intrigue are all the requisite ingredients for a signature story told with Moriarty’s deft..." Read more

"...This was imperfect but still interesting and I would try another of this author's books." Read more

Customers find the characters interesting.

"...But it’s doable. Each of the characters is unique and appealing in their own way, though not all are created equal...." Read more

"... Rich character development , smooth dialogue and steady intrigue are all the requisite ingredients for a signature story told with Moriarty’s deft..." Read more

"...first half, but then it got repetitive, and it was difficult to remember some of the characters , namely Carmel and Lars — who were they again?..." Read more

"...The characters themselves were very well drawn , realistic and multifaceted and SO recognizable like they were people who might be at the periphery..." Read more

Customers find the writing quality rich and descriptive. They say the author excels at describing everyday life and the complexities of relationships. Readers also appreciate the vivid descriptions of the surroundings. They mention the characters are well-defined and distinctive.

"... Creating believable and lovable, yet troubled and mysterious female characters is where Moriarty excels...." Read more

"...The characters themselves were very well drawn, realistic and multifaceted and SO recognizable like they were people who might be at the periphery..." Read more

"...The single narratives were not as fun . Ben and Jessica were boring. I needed less about the damn yellow car...." Read more

Customers find the book humorous, quirky, and entertaining to read. They also mention the author writes the funniest, most surprising books around.

"...Creating believable and lovable , yet troubled and mysterious female characters is where Moriarty excels...." Read more

"...There is the warm, wise, witty and engaging first portion, minus the odd, random disability slur, and then the second section ventures into the..." Read more

"...their lives .This book had me laughing out loud, the witty banter was so well done but it's not to say this book doesn't touch on so many emotional..." Read more

"...I'm not sure this book will be for everyone, but it is humorous , and I think those who enjoy contemporary women's fiction will probably give it a..." Read more

Customers find the book insightful, engrossing, and thought-provoking. They say the author is a master of satisfying conclusions and tying up loose ends. Readers also appreciate the format, which delves into individual issues. They mention the point of the book is good and it leads to a lively discussion.

"...There is the warm, wise , witty and engaging first portion, minus the odd, random disability slur, and then the second section ventures into the..." Read more

"...to be dark but humorous for the most part and there were also times of insight as folks had awakenings throughout the process. I would recommend." Read more

"...The point of the book was actually good ...." Read more

"...Fast paced, suspenseful, engaging dialogue , captivating characters, fun plot twists,short chapters….. it’s all there...." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the story quality. Some mention it's engaging and has some strange twists and turns. Others say the story bogs down in the middle and lacks credibility.

"...The book is quirky , fun, and entertaining, yes, but it left me feeling dissatisfied and wanting more. Oh well. I’m still excited for the next one." Read more

"...That being said, the second half of the book also takes a peculiar and disturbing turn that disrupts the tone and flow of the entire narrative...." Read more

"...and heartwrenching topics because it does and some of the storyline is heartbreaking and I personally think the author does a great job of keeping..." Read more

"...The pacing was slow, and there was no dramatic question in sight . It was all tell not show, explaining the characters...." Read more

Customers find the pacing of the book slow. They say the story seems to drag on and the ending doesn't make sense. Readers also mention the second half has a rushed, unrealistic quality. Overall, they say the book drags in spots and is too far-fetched to be believable.

"...The pacing was slow , and there was no dramatic question in sight. It was all tell not show, explaining the characters...." Read more

"...The beginning of this story was super slow ...." Read more

"...it's pure fiction at its best and it's not a slow burn the pace is perfect , Laine gets you there at her speed as usual but not anything like the..." Read more

"...I wouldn’t say that I disliked this book. It was just really slow for 59% of the book . There are eleven different POV’s...." Read more

Customers find the book boring at times and less enjoyable to read. They say it lacks all the usual appeal and is barely a beach read. Readers also mention the characters are forgettable.

"...and it suddenly feels that the book has veered into uncharted, unappealing territory ...." Read more

"...work .... But there were a couple of times in this that it was a little too contrived ...." Read more

"...anyone's interest for an entire series, however, as the book really didn't spark interest , or continued thought about the plot. To get that '..." Read more

"...But I started to feel like it was full of cliches and stereotypes, leaving me bored ...." Read more

Reviews with images

Strong Start but Fell Flat

• Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

Top reviews from other countries

Report an issue

• About Amazon
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Sell products on Amazon
• Sell on Amazon Business
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Become an Affiliate
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Host an Amazon Hub
• › See More Make Money with Us
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Amazon and COVID-19
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices

• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
• Your Ads Privacy Choices

Screen Rant

The perfect couple season 2 would follow a risky nicole kidman show trend.

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Big Little Lies Season 3: Cast, Story & Everything We Know

The perfect couple: who killed merritt in the book & how it compares to netflix's version, the perfect couple: 9 clues to merritt's killer you might've missed.

After The Perfect Couple ’s release on Netflix, the talks of a second season could be a concerning sign of a continued Nicole Kidman trend. The series stars Kidman as Greer Winbury, a wealthy author whose family gets wrapped up in a murder case when the maid of honor for her son’s wedding is found dead on the Nantucket beach. The Perfect Couple is a six-episode limited series based on the book by Elin Hilderbrand. The book itself does not have a sequel, but rather resolves its mystery in a standalone novel.

Though The Perfect Couple ’s reviews are mixed, the series has had good viewership on Netflix , which understandably could push the streamer to want to make another season. Showrunner Jenna Lamia noted that The Perfect Couple season 2 would be possible should “ all the elements [come] together and everybody was enthusiastic .” While those who enjoyed the intrigue of the Winbury family in The Perfect Couple might be excited by this possibility, making The Perfect Couple season 2 could follow a highly risky Kidman show trend.

The Perfect Couple Season 2 Would Be The 3rd Time A Nicole Kidman Thriller Went Past The Books

Big little lies and nine perfect strangers also extend beyond the books.

If The Perfect Couple season 2 were made, it would be the third time that a mystery thriller novel adaptation starring Kidman went past its source material. This happened first with Big Little Lies , which is based on the 2014 Liane Moriarty novel of the same name. Big Little Lies season 1 was critically acclaimed, earning multiple Emmy nominations. This cued HBO to make a second season of Big Little Lies , even though there was no longer book material to work off of. Now, Big Little Lies season 3 is even in the works, and is slated for release next year.

After Nicole Kidman confirmed that Big Little Lies season 3 was officially on the way, several exciting updates have already been revealed.

Another Kidman show is also about to continue this trend: Nine Perfect Strangers . Like Big Little Lies , the 2021 series is also based on a Moriarty novel. Nine Perfect Strangers season 1 ends where the book does, tying up the story. Despite this closure, however, Nine Perfect Strangers was renewed for season 2, so it will have to work with material beyond the books.

Continuing The Perfect Couple's Story Without The Source Material Is A Big Risk

The perfect couple ended its main story.

Because of the history with Kidman’s Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers , The Perfect Couple season 2 would follow this trend by being her third mystery thriller to do so. If they do follow through with it, this would be a huge risk. On the one hand, showrunner Lamia is right in saying that “ there are definitely questions left at the end .” This open-endedness would allow a second effort to explore more about Greer’s past , or other dynamics within the Winbury family that season 1 did not have time for.

That said, it would be a huge risk to continue The Perfect Couple without the source material. Even though the Netflix series differed from The Perfect Couple book in some major ways, it still worked off of the characters that Hilderbrand created, and followed suit with the overall story arc. The fact that said arc is a self-contained, resolved mystery, would also make things difficult in that The Perfect Couple season 2 would likely have to manufacture another mystery.

Nicole Kidman's Thrillers Don't Need More Seasons (But It Makes Sense Why They Happen)

Big little lies was critically acclaimed.

Reflecting on the viability of The Perfect Couple , one reality becomes even more clear: Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers did not need second seasons. While the first seasons were successful, both of these also covered self-contained plots that do not require a next season. Exploiting the content can risk going off in directions that the original author did not intend, which could diminish the perception of the adaptation.

That said, it makes sense why these producers are apt to expand these Kidman series . For one, they are getting high viewership numbers, and The Perfect Couple . Secondly, Big Little Lies season 2 shows that under the right leadership, departing from the books can still go well. Though not as highly rated as the universally beloved first season, Big Little Lies season 2 was well-reviewed, holding a Certified Fresh 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. Thus, Big Little Lies was successful in going of of Moriarty's writing, likely encouraging for the creators of Nine Perfect Strangers .

There is also a growing tendency to want to expand projects that were originally intended to be miniseries . Such is the case with Mare of Easttown , an award-winning HBO crime series starring Kate Winslet. As in the case with Big Little Lies , this show was originally intended to be a miniseries. Now, there are talks of expanding Mare of Easttown to season 2 . While no development has been officially confirmed, the fact that Mare of Easttown season 2 is even in talks is indicative of this growing trend.

The Perfect Couple Season 2 Should Only Happen Under 1 Condition

The author should be involved.

In many ways, The Perfect Couple season 2 would be even more risky than some of these other shows. Unlike Mare of Easttown or Big Little Lies , The Perfect Couple season 1 has mixed reviews from both critics and audiences. This means that the vision of those who adapted the book is not entirely celebrated. This makes it harder to trust that The Perfect Couple season 2 could be effective in jumping off from the books.

All six episodes of The Perfect Couple are available to watch on Netflix.

One way to mitigate this issue is by involving the author directly in the development of The Perfect Couple season 2. While The Perfect Couple itself is a standalone novel, Hilderbrand has experience writing sequels to her other books. Perhaps this would mean the author would find a faithful way to continue the story past its miniseries format. Without Hilderbrand, The Perfect Couple could risk making its already mixed reviews even worse. But with the author's help, The Perfect Couple season 2 could help resolve key elements of the first season while also providing an interesting expansion to its world.

The Perfect Couple

Your rating.

Your comment has not been saved

In the idyllic setting of Nantucket, a lavish wedding turns sinister when a body is discovered in the harbor just before the ceremony. As the investigation unfolds, every member of the wedding party becomes a suspect, unraveling secrets and lies. Starring Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, and Dakota Fanning, the series promises intense drama and mystery​.